Russia and Qatar to host next 2 World Cups

Husker_x

Husker_x

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Russia has been chosen to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar has been selected to stage the 2022 tournament.
The Russian bid was picked ahead of England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the 2018 event.

Qatar got the better of the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea to stage in 2022.

Both decisions were made on Thursday following a secret ballot of football's world governing body Fifa's 22 executive members in Zurich.

It is the first time that either Russia or Qatar has been chosen as host nation for the World Cup.

"You have entrusted us with the Fifa World Cup for 2018 and I can promise, we all can promise, you will never regret it," said Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov. "Let us make history together."

Russia's selection comes despite the absence of Prime Minister Valdimir Putin from the vote in Switzerland.

The 58-year-old had been expected to be a prominent figurehead for the Russian bid in the final days of campaigning but instead remained in Moscow.

He is now expected to fly to Zurich to thank Fifa for what he described as "a sign of trust" for his country.

"I would like to assure the Fifa leadership that we will do everything possible to ensure that the 2018 football World Cup is staged at a deserving level," he added in a televised interview.

Putin's promise to scrap visa's was seen as crucial to his country's prospects of winning the vote as nationals of almost all countries outside the former Soviet Union require the paperwork to visit Russia.

In addition, Russia's plan for improving facilities in host cities are in line with Fifa's long-term plans for developing the sport, especially in regions with outdated infrastructure.

Russia has proposed staging the tournament in 13 cities, grouped into four clusters that stretch from exclave of Kaliningrad on the borders of the European Union to Yekaterinburg in the Urals on the fringe of Siberia.

There have been concerns that Russia's vast size, it's remoteness from other countries and what is seen as a relatively weak transport system could make travelling around the country problematic.

All the host cities are in the European region of the country and Putin has promised that fans will be able to travel on public transport for free during the event.
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Well this is a disappointment, but not unexpected.

 
The majority of people in this country hate soccer and think it's a joke. It's never a surprise when FIFA chooses another country over the USA.

 
Average temp in Qatar during the summer (when the World Cup is held) is 104 degrees with highs reaching 120 degrees.

:facepalm:

 
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Qatar is actually one of the most liberalized nations in the Middle East, it's absurd to lop them altogether. Sports are one medium for nations to build bridges and Qatar hosting the World Cup is a positive for relations.

 
Street Novelist said:
The majority of people in this country hate soccer and think it's a joke. It's never a surprise when FIFA chooses another country over the USA.
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I tell you what though, man, I'm one of those WC babies that people keep talking about. I never saw and talked to so many people that hated/had no interest in soccer who were packed into bars or on the edge of their seat watching the US play. It was pretty inspiring. I'm hooked on soccer right now like you can't believe (even upgraded the cable packed to get the––girts teeth...standard definition––Fox Soccer Channel.

I think with stadiums like Jerry World and that major new soccer facility in KC, FIFA might have missed a shot to really open/expand to a new and lucrative market.

 
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