Hey there, I'm Asma Khalid.
And I'm Tristan Redman, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from the Global Story podcast.
Every day we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other.
We recorded this episode last week ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw here in Washington, DC,
and it is a fascinating look at the growing bromance between President Trump and the President of FIFA.
And if you like this episode,
you can hear more from us by searching for the global story wherever you listen to podcasts.
Today's 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center here in Washington, DC,
millions of people around the world will be watching to see who their country will face in a bid to win the biggest trophy in the sport we hear called soccer.
And today it won't be players lining up to shake hands and collect a medal.
Instead.
the winner will likely be President Trump,
who is widely predicted to win the very first FIFA Peace Prize.
The prize was created by the sports most powerful man, Gianni Infantino,
and it's the latest in a series of spectacles,
which skeptics see as an attempt to cozy up to the American president.
I would like to thank President Trump, with whom I have a great friendship, and to assure him that,
together, We will make not only America great again, but also the entire world.
And this all is raising questions about what it means for FIFA as a supposedly politically neutral organization.
From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, DC.