BBC Sport - Football - Russia & Qatar will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups Russia & Qatar will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups Advertisement The moment Russia won 2018 World Cup bid Russia and Qatar have been chosen to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals respectively after a secret ballot of Fifa's 22 executive members in Zurich. Russia was selected ahead of co-bidders Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium and England, which won only two votes. Qatar defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States. "You have entrusted us with the Fifa World Cup for 2018 and I can promise you will never regret it," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov. Russia received nine votes in the first round of voting and an outright majority of 13 in the second round, while Qatar obtained an outright majority of 14 in the fourth round of voting for 2022. It is the first time that either Russia or Qatar has been chosen as host nation for the World Cup. "Let us make history together," Shuvalov added.

Russia's selection comes despite the absence of Prime Minister Valdimir Putin from the vote in Switzerland. Qatar win right to host 2022 World Cup 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. "Russia loves football, Russia knows what football is and in our country we have everything to conduct the 2018 World Cup on a very worthy level," said Putin in a televised interview. "The decision corresponds with Fifa's philosophy for developing football, especially in those regions of the world where that development is needed." Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was in attendance in Zurich, and he thanked Fifa for "believing in change". "We have worked very hard over past two years to get to this point," Al-Thani continued. "Today we celebrate, but tomorrow, the work begins.

"We acknowledge there is a lot of work for us to do, but we also stand by our promise that we will deliver." 2018 VOTING 1st round: England 2 (eliminated), Netherlands-Belgium 4; Spain-Portugal 7; Russia 9 2nd round: Netherlands-Belgium 2; Spain-Portugal 7; Russia 13 (Russia obtain absolute majority) The Spain-Portugal 2018 bid gained seven votes and its managing director Miguel Angel Lopez commented: "Fifa thought it was better to promote football in other latitudes and there we are. The decision is focused on taking football to regions which have never held a World Cup." The Belgium-Netherlands bid picked up four votes in the first round and two in the second. Former Belgian star Marc Wilmots thought the decision was a negative one for football. "Russia is a political choice and Qatar is an economic choice," Wilmots reflected. "You can say that to some extent the sport has been the loser with the decision for these two World Cups." US President Barack Obama said he felt Fifa had made "the wrong decision" in awarding the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

The US reached the fourth round of voting before being beaten by Qatar, and US 2022 bid chairman Sunil Gulati stated: "We're disappointed. No way to get around that. We worked very hard. "The country has been behind us in a way we haven't seen. We know it came down to two. Which automatically means it was very close. "But there's a lot of countries in the world that want to host these events. "People have figured out a way to do it and not lose a lot of money, especially if you don't have infrastructure issues. "Certainly in the two winners today there are going to be a lot of infrastructure needs and commitments have been made by the governments." Despite losing out in the first round of voting for 2022, Australia's Football Federation chief executive Ben Buckley thought the Australian bid had strengthened his country's reputation. "We are obviously disappointed at the outcome in Zurich, however we are proud of the efforts we made in trying to secure a World Cup in Australia," Buckley added. "We mounted a technically excellent, credible and responsible bid against enormous competition and this strong bid has delivered important benefits.

"Australia's reputation as a potential host for such a major event has been reinforced." 606: DEBATE Giving the event to Russia has massive appeal if you take a step back and look at it. The same when you consider the Qatari bid reddevil-666 The tiny oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar, with a population estimated to be around 1.7m, will be the first Middle Eastern country to host a major sporting event, and a central crux of their bid centred around boosting the region's global profile. With the country's economy expected to grow by 15.5% this year and soar by 21% in 2011, Qatar is expected to spare no expense in building stadiums for the event, with the total cost of construction work expected to be about £4bn. Under proposals submitted to Fifa, Qatar would renovate three stadiums and build nine new ones, with the 12 venues divided among seven host cities. This includes the proposed 86,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, which is expected to be completed by 2019 and is scheduled to host the opening and final matches.

Bid organisers said that all the stadiums will be climate-controlled and zero-carbon emitting to combat what could be temperatures as high as 50C during the two hottest months of the year in Qatar. The country has also launched a huge spending policy in recent years to accommodate its growing population, splashing out billions on rail, air and road links. Plans are also in place to complete a metro system to connect each stadium by 2017, meaning travel time between venues would be no more than an hour. Doubts remain over whether the country will be able to cope with an influx of approximately 400,000 fans. The country currently has around 50,000 hotel rooms, but bid leaders have promised that 95,000 will be available come 2022. There are also concerns that the demand for alcohol and potential rowdy behaviour from football fans could clash with the conservative social mores of a country that is still a relatively closed Islamic nation. Russia's plans for improving facilities in host cities are also in line with Fifa's long-term ambitions for developing the sport, especially in regions with outdated infrastructure.

2022 VOTING 1st round: Australia 1 (eliminated); Japan 3; United States 3; South Korea 4; Qatar 11 2nd round: Japan 2 (eliminated); South Korea 5; United States 5; Qatar 10 3rd round: South Korea 5 (eliminated); United States 6; Qatar 11 4th round: United States 8; Qatar 14 Russia has proposed staging the tournament in 13 cities, grouped into four clusters that stretch from the exclave of Kaliningrad on the borders of the European Union to Yekaterinburg in the Urals on the fringe of Siberia. Putin's promise to scrap visas 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. There have been concerns that Russia's vast size, its 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.

The results have brought to a close an extremely controversial voting procedure, with Fifa facing a number of allegations of corruption, which has led to the suspension of two members of the executive committee. A recent investigation by BBC's Panorama, which was broadcast on Monday, accused three executive committee members of accepting payments and alleged Fifa vice-president Jack Warner attempted to supply ticket touts. An increasingly acrimonious climax to campaigning saw Spanish and Russian officials issue veiled attacks on the British media for reports of alleged corruption in world football's governing body. In addition, Qatar had to endure a Fifa investigation into allegations it planned to trade blocs of votes with 2018 bidder Spain-Portugal - charges which could not be proved because of a lack of evidence. Advertisement FIFA approves controversial winter schedule for 2022 World Cup - LA Times FIFA approves controversial winter schedule for 2022 World Cup World Cup Kin Cheung / Associated Press A worker cleans the road outside Khalifa sports complex in 2011 in Doha, Qatar, where the men's World Cup final will be held in 2022.

A worker cleans the road outside Khalifa sports complex in 2011 in Doha, Qatar, where the men's World Cup final will be held in 2022. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press) Kevin Baxter Contact Reporter FIFA approves controversial winter schedule for 2022 World Cup In a move that surprised no one, FIFA's executive committee voted Thursday to move games of the 2022 Qatar World Cup from summer to winter to avoid July temperatures that average about 106 degrees in the Middle Eastern country. Thursday's announcement approves the recommendation of a FIFA task force, which last month called for the tournament to be moved to November and December. Qatar's selection as a World Cup host in 2010 was controversial from the start because of the weather, which is considered unhealthy for both players and fans. But that will make it the first World Cup to be played winter in the Northern Hemisphere. More important, the change in dates will disrupt most of the world's top domestic leagues, which play from August through May.

FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, also agreed in principle to a compacted 28-day schedule for the 2022 tournament, with the final scheduled for Dec. 18, Qatar's national day. In other action, the executive committee picked France as the site of the 2019 women's World Cup. South Korea was the other finalist. The 2015 women's World Cup will kick off June 6 in Canada.

Qatar World Cup 2022: Sepp Blatter admits it was a mistake to host tournament in the Middle East - Telegraph World Cup Qatar World Cup 2022: Sepp Blatter admits it was a mistake to host tournament in the Middle East Fifa president says "one makes a lot of mistakes in life" amid concerns over searing temperatures in Qatar Feeling the heat: Sepp Blatter has faced cricitism due to the high temperatures the players are likely to experience in Qatar Photo: REUTERS By Ben Bryant and Ben Rumsby 9:00AM BST 16 May 2014 Sepp Blatter has branded Fifa’s awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar a “mistake” and admitted the tournament would almost certainly have to move to the winter. The Fifa president gave his strongest indication yet that he disagreed with his own executive committee’s controversial decision to hand football’s biggest event to the Gulf state. “Of course, it was a mistake. You know, one comes across a lot of mistakes in life,” said Blatter, thought to have voted for the United States to host the tournament.

“The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar.” Asked whether the World Cup was likely to be held in the European winter, the 78-year-old told Swiss television station RTS: “It’s probable, yes. In fact, it’s more than probable.” Related Articles Qatar's 2022 World Cup claim one of biggest upsets in Fifa's history 17 Mar 2014 Blatter’s comments were met with derision by critics who argued the 2022 World Cup should never have been awarded to a desert state where daytime summer temperatures rarely fall below 40C. Broadcaster Gary Lineker wrote on Twitter: “Blatter – everyone makes mistakes. Pretty big one. He’s the man in charge. I imagine his resignation letter is being composed as we tweet!” Shadow international development secretary Jim Murphy said: “Sepp Blatter’s hand-wringing won’t do any good for anyone.” Murphy added that some migrant workers in Qatar were “suffering industrial scale exploitation that would make any true football fan feel sick”.

But Fifa’s British vice-president Jim Boyce last night rallied behind Blatter, saying he “absolutely agreed” in the strongest indication yet that the World Cup will be moved – potentially causing major disruption to the sporting calendar. Boyce, 70, said: “I absolutely agree the tournament needs to be staged in favourable conditions but I await the report from stakeholders which will go to the executive committee.” Blatter also used the interview to give the clearest indication yet that he will formally announce his intention to stand for a fifth term as Fifa president next month. Amid speculation that Uefa president Michel Platini – once considered a close ally of Blatter – may run for president at the 2015 elections, Blatter appeared to warn off his potential rival. He said the Frenchman “is a man with a very deep character; he wouldn’t do it”. Blatter hinted the selection of Qatar in the 2010 ballot was due to pressure from Germany and France, with then French president Nicolas Sarkozy convening the Qatari Emir and Platini at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

He said: “You couldn’t imagine the Swiss president doing that.” Sources close to Platini said that he remained undecided over whether to run for president and would not show his hand until the autumn. He is thought to believe Blatter’s latest comments were an attempt to intimidate him out of entering the race. France’s foreign ministry said the suggestion that French pressure contributed to the controversial award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was “unfounded”. The news follow weeks of disclosures in Telegraph Sport about the circumstances surrounding the controversial 2010 ballot that awarded Qatar the World Cup. In March, Telegraph Sport revealed that former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner and his family were paid millions by a company owned by the former Fifa executive committee member for Qatar. Further disclosures revealed that the daughter of a former executive committee member had more than £2 million put into her account, and a senior Fifa official’s son was given a job at a private Qatari hospital shortly after the decision to award the country the World Cup.

World Cup 2022 challenges for Qatar to tackle - BBC News BBC News World Cup 2022 challenges for Qatar to tackle By Bill Wilson Business reporter, BBC News 7 October 2011 Close share panel Image caption Qatar now has 11 years to prepare for the 2022 World Cup To say the football world was shocked when Qatar was given the right to host the 2022 football World Cup would be an understatement. Critics, and many still remain, wondered how such a massive event could be held in a country with a total population less than Greater Manchester's, and where the summer temperature can reach 50C. However, the man at the helm of organising the tournament insists criticism is misplaced and that the Middle Eastern Emirate will be able to stage a memorable tournament 11 years from now. Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, is looking to provide a World Cup memorable for all the right reasons. Mr al-Thawadi said that two billion people were within a four-hour flight of Qatar, and that the World Cup would "build bridges of understanding between the Middle East and rest of the world".

And some bridges need to be built. He said that since Fifa had awarded it the tournament, the emirate had faced an "avalanche of accusations and allegations" relating to claims it had bribed its way to securing the World Cup. Mr al-Thawadi said Qatar had in fact conducted its bid campaign "to the highest ethical and moral standards". 'Promises' Now he wants to focus on leaving a "bold legacy" from hosting a World Cup which some analysts estimate could cost as much as £138bn to bring about. Qatar hopes to leave a legacy in the areas of football development, air-cooling technology, building modular stadiums (which can be downsized after the event), and fan experience. Image caption New stadiums will be built and existing ones will have their capacity extended "We can deliver... and fulfil the promises we made to the world," Mr al-Thawadi told delegates at the Leaders in Football conference in London. He said Qatar has been drawing inspiration about how to host a successful event from a number of sources, including London 2012.

The small nation, population 1.7 million, is now looking to appoint a project management company by the end of the year - "a crucial appointment which we must get right". It is also looking to draw up a "master schedule" for stadiums and infrastructure, in order to resolve any potential pitfalls on the road to 2022 as soon as possible. There will be 12 stadiums in use at the World Cup, and it is hoped the first new one with air-cooling technology with will be in place by 2015. Cooling In addition, Mr al-Thawadi said the 2022 World Cup would benefit from a "state-of-the-art transport infrastructure" which needed to be largely constructed from scratch. We want people to come and explore, and learn about us Hassan al-Thawadi, Qatar 2022 The official said that the small size of the emirate meant fans would be able to stay in the same hotel for the duration of the tournament, and also to travel easily and take in two games in one day at different venues. One on the thorny question of temperature, the country says it is also developing air-cooling techniques.

"Technology is already being trialled in open spaces in Qatar," says Mr Al al-Thawadi. There has been talk of moving the World Cup to the winter, but this notion has been scotched my many, including the German football federation. "We submitted a bid that looks towards hosting a summer World Cup - we are moving towards that," says the 2022 supremo. He said it was up to the global football community to come to any unanimous decision if that situation was ever to be changed. Meanwhile, nine of the stadiums being used will be modular, and Qatar will donate 170,000 seats to developing countries after the World Cup, when stadiums are slimmed down. That he said, meant the country would not be lumbered with any large "white elephant" rarely full stadiums after 2022. Alcohol For potential visiting fans, Mr al-Thawadi wanted to quell fears that there would be nothing for them to do after matches.

We are confident and excited that this will leave a legacy of understanding, and that people can unite through a shared love of football Hassan al-Thawadi, Qatar 2022 "There is significant investment in tourism in Qatar, museums and entertainment sites, and a service industry dedicated towards fans," he says. "We have always said alcohol would be available. It might not be as available as it is in London, but any fan that wants to enjoy a drink can do so." He said the Qatar public would also be prepared for the influx of fans and, for example, their different dress sense. In addition, he said Qatar was host to many different communities, including English people, and was "used to being hospitable". He added: "We have hosted major events over the years" - including the 2006 Asian Games. Catalyst The country has also applied to host the 2017 World Athletics Championship - in competition with London - and also the 2020 Olympics.

"The Olympic Games bid is not a distraction to 2022, and may be an opportunity for some synergies with the World Cup." Image caption It is hoped the 2022 World Cup will help improve football quality in Qatar Hosting these large sporting events could, he said, be used as "an economic tool". "The World Cup can be a catalyst of economic change," he believes, not only for Qatar but for the whole Middle East region. He said a number of yet-to-be-revealed initiatives were in the pipeline to involve other Middle East countries' participation in the World Cup. Finally, on the playing field, it is hoped that 2022 will provide the same boost to football in West Asia that the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan did for East Asia, particularly the two host countries. "We want people to come and explore, and learn about us," he says.

"We are confident and excited that this will leave a legacy of understanding, and that people can unite through a shared love of football." | Qatar , Russia , United Kingdom , Sport , Football Organisers of Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 football World Cup have once again denied any wrongdoing in the build-up to the bidding process for the tournament and are confident that it will take place in Middle Eastern country. An investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was carried out by FIFA's ethics committee following allegations of bribery and corruption. There have also been calls for Qatar to be stripped of the hosting rights in wake of those allegations. "We are not worried, we are confident that the World Cup will take place in Qatar," Nasser Al Khater, Qatar 2022 Communications Director, told Al Jazeera. "Qatar is part of the investigation and so is Russia [2018]. The whole process is part of that. It's unfortunate that people single out Qatar every time they discuss it. "We have held ourselves to the highest ethical standards.

We believe in it, we are confident of it and we are confident of how we have behaved." Britain's Sunday Times reported last month that some of the "millions of documents" it had seen linked payments by former FIFA executive committee member, Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatari, to officials in order to win backing for the 2022 World Cup bid. Khater, though, reiterated the stance that Bin Hammam was not representing the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee. "He was an executive committee member like the rest of the 23 executive committee members that were present at the time. We had to engage with him, as we had to engage with everybody else. He was not part of our bid. Did he represent us? Not at all." FIFA President Sepp Blatter has previously labelled the criticism against Qatar as "racist". Source: Al Jazeera The Ethical Challenge for Qatar 2022 | Edmond J.

Safra Center for Ethics The Ethical Challenge for Qatar 2022 September 16, 2013 by Ghanem Nuseibeh In December 2010, the FIFA Committee awarded Qatar the right to host the World Cup in 2022. The day was historic on many levels: it was the first time a Middle Eastern country was awarded the right, the first time FIFA awarded two tournaments at the same time (with 2018 going to Russia), and it was the first time a country of that size was due to host such a major global event. Almost immediately after the award, there was an unprecedented backlash from the football community. Questions were raised about the merit of the FIFA decision to award Qatar the 2022 games. This blog post aims to assess the degree to which institutional corruption was present in the FIFA decision to award Qatar the 2022 games. It does not intend to address allegations of corruption in the legal and widely understood sense of the word. It does not address corruption as bribery or “[t]aking this (money) in exchange for that (special favour or privilege)," as mentioned by Lessig (2011).

1 Lessig (2013) defines institutional corruption as being manifest “when there is a systemic and strategic influence which is legal, or even currently ethical, that undermines the institution’s effectiveness by diverting it from its purpose or weakening its ability to achieve its purpose, weakening either the public trust in that institution or the institution’s inherent trustworthiness." 2 A month after the award to Qatar was announced, FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his support for the idea that the tournament is moved to winter, given the high summer temperatures in Qatar. This would be the first time ever that the tournament would be held in the winter months. Qatari officials initially expressed opposition to the change of season and insisted on continuing with plans to air-condition the stadia. However, opposition to a summer tournament has waned, and Qatar now appears to accept a move to winter, leaving the decision to FIFA. The discussion surrounding the award included allegations of corruption. However, this is not the subject of this post and whether or not allegations of this type of “conventional” corruption are proven, is incidental to institutional corruption that affects both FIFA and Qatar. Qatar’s bid included two main pillars that appear to have played a role in the FIFA decision to award.

The first was that Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. The second was allaying concerns about the temperature in the summer months in Qatar. Zinedine Zidane, former French international player and ambassador to the Qatar FIFA 2022 bid, said that the victory of Qatar is " a victory for the Arab World ." 3 " In fact, the whole Qatari bid team spared no argument in conveying this argument. Blatter confirmed in an interview with L’Equipe that "[t]here were interventions at different levels so that [FIFA 2022] would go to an Arab country." When it decided on Qatar for 2022, FIFA's intention was to award the tournament to the whole Arab World, especially given that Qatar was the only Arab country to bid for the right to host. The price that FIFA was prepared to pay was to hold the World Cup in a country where the temperatures are too high for players to be able to play outdoors. Qatari officials made it clear that they intend to build air-conditioned stadia to enable them to host the World Cup in the summer months.

However, shortly after the award, key officials started expressing concern about the merits of hosting the World Cup in Qatar in the summer months. Greg Dyke , the England Football Association chairman said that “[m]y position, and I suspect the FA’s position, will be: ‘You can’t play it in the summer.'" FIFA then announced that it will discuss the possibility of shifting the World Cup in 2022 to winter. Moving the World Cup to the winter months will cause massive disruption to the annual football calendar, as national football associations will need to change their schedule to allow for the World Cup to go ahead. The question is whether the controversy surrounding the award to Qatar constitutes institutional corruption. The two pillars of the Qatari bid cannot be considered in isolation. Would FIFA have awarded Qatar the 2022 bid, if part of the bid Qatar presented was that the 2022 World Cup would be hosted in winter? The information currently available suggests that FIFA’s eagerness to award the World Cup to an Arab country did not include any illegal or unethical influence. In fact, one might even argue that FIFA’s insistence to award the 2022 to an Arab country is more ethical than not awarding it to an Arab country.

It may also be argued that awarding the World Cup to an Arab country strengthens FIFA’s purpose of bringing football to the whole world. That is certainly the case, if the World Cup is held in the summer months. The public understanding when the award was announced was certainly that the event would be held in the summer. Moving the tournament to winter raises serious questions about the merit of awarding the event to Qatar in the first place. Will moving the tournament to winter weaken public trust in FIFA, and/or its inherent trustworthiness? To figure out the answer, the following are some of the questions that will need to be addressed: Wasn’t FIFA aware that the temperature in Qatar is unbearably hot during the summer when it made the award? If it did, it presumably accepted Qatar’s solution to the heat problem through building air-conditioned stadia. Why has this changed now? Have the engineers designing the stadia concluded that air-conditioning them is technically not possible, and therefore Qatar has in effect reneged on its promise to provide air-conditioned stadia? If that were the case, should the tournament still be hosted in Qatar?

With the facts publicly available, there are strong indications that institutional corruption was present in the process that led to the award of the 2022 tournament to Qatar. The question that remains is whether FIFA is concerned about this as calls for it to reform mount. Pielke (2013) has indicated that despite FIFA’s reputation being at “an all-time low,” according to the British Prime Minister (June 2011), “there appears to be little reason to expect that its public reputation will be anything other than a minor factor in any future reforms.” If reforming FIFA will take a long time to rectify issues such as public trust, is Qatar willing to risk its reputation as a country and as a brand for the sake of hosting the World Cup? FIFA has several options: Hold the World Cup in Qatar in the summer, as normal; Move the World Cup to winter but keep it in Qatar; Re-vote for the 2022 tournament; Find a compromise. The first option (no change, as currently planned) has already come under significant criticism.

It is becoming increasingly inconceivable for the tournament to be held in Qatar in the summer for a number of reasons, including the health and safety of the players and the fans. From an institutional corruption perspective, the second option (holding the tournament in winter) is the worst. It will require dealing with dozens of national football associations and convincing them to move their tournaments to winter. It risks leading to further accusations of institutional corruption, and worse. The third option, a re-vote, may be in FIFA’s best interest, and an opportunity to start a new page as far as its public image is concerned. A fourth and final alternative can be drawn up that takes into account the desire to have the World Cup held in an Arab country, but at the same time not have to change the date. It could still remain a Qatari event, but have most of the games held in cooler parts of the Middle East and restrict the events held in Qatar itself to perhaps the opening and closing games. Whilst such an option requires amending the case that led to FIFA awarding Qatar the tournament, it may be the least damaging from an ethical point of view. Instead of leaving Qatar’s reputation damaged, it will enhance it regionally.

It will truly make the tournament an Arab event, as Qatar wanted it to be. FIFA—and, to a lesser extent, Qatar—have a massive task to deal with to clear their names from accusations of institutional corruption. 1 Lessig, Lawrence (2011), “Two Conceptions of 'Corruption,'” ch. 14 of Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It (Twelve), 226-247, at 226. 2 Lessig, Lawrence (2013), “Institutional Corruption Defined,” Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Foreword. 3 Pielke, Roger (2013), “How can FIFA be held accountable?,” Sports Management Review, Vol 16, 255-267. FIFA World Cup 2022 | Events | Breaking Travel News Breaking Travel News June FIFA World Cup 2022 After one of the toughest bidding competitions in World Cup history, Qatar has fended off rival bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea and United States to win rights to host the 2022 World Cup - the first ever Middle East nation to host a World Cup.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ - Bidders - Qatar - FIFA.com 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. Qatar is bidding to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2022. A World Cup in Qatar would be the first global sporting event ever to be hosted in the Middle East. Qatar is truly in the Middle, not in the East or West, and within reach for fans all around the globe. Indeed, only Qatar can guarantee everybody fine broadcasting times on TV and the Internet. By taking place in Qatar, the World Cup™ will for the first time come to a region brimming with sporting potential and passion. More than 435 million Middle Easterners will be waiting for the Game in 2022. The Qatar 2022 World Cup™ will be compact - to the benefit of the fans, FIFA and the environment. Qatar's compact games plan would save fans travel time and money as well as reducing the impact on the environment. Renewable technologies and architecturally advanced venues and facilities built to the highest environmental standards would also ensure players and fans alike enjoy each match in a cool environment.

Qatar is committed to using and developing eco-friendly technologies for stadiums that can then be adopted in other countries. After the 2022 World Cup, part of each modular stadium will be reduced in size to be used as permanent stadiums; the other part will be used as stand modules to be re-erected in other Asian countries in collaboration with Reach Out to Asia, helping the spirit of the tournament live on across the continent. And, naturally, fans from around the world would experience the magic of traditional Arab hospitality and leave Qatar with a new understanding of the Middle East. The FIFA World Cup™ in the region would bring greater unity and understanding between peoples from every continent, perfectly reflecting the FIFA slogan "For the Game; for the World". Bidders 2022 Soccer World Cup Qatar | 2022 World Cup Info & Matches | World Cup Rugby League World Cup 2022 World Cup Qatar On December 2nd, 2010, Qatar was announced as the host of the 2014 Soccer World Cup. With a population of just over 2 million, Qatar will be the smallest nation and the first Arab state to host the World Cup.

There was considerable support for a Middle Eastern nation to host a World Cup, and as the richest (in terms of income per person), Qatar was in a good position to be able to afford the immense expenditure required for the event. Many members of the Arab League threw their support behind Qatar’s hosting bid, and it came to be seen as an opportunity to reconcile differences between Arab peoples and the West. Qatar has risen rapidly out of the desert on the back of resource profits. Source: Forbes. Qatar hosted the 2011 Asian Cup in a semi-rehearsal for the World Cup. Unfortunately, the tournament had the lowest attendance since Lebanon hosted it in 2000. Qatar also hosted the Asian Games in 2006, providing further experience and existing infrastructure for a large international event. All reports to date indicate that Qatar is well on track to readiness for the 2022 World Cup. Qatar’s growth in recent years has been incredible, with a large number of the capital Doha’s modern infrastructure rising out of the desert over the past few decades. Built on the back of resource wealth (gas in particular), Qatar has a wealth of experience when it comes to carrying out immense construction projects.

As such, constructing the multiple stadiums required will not present too great a challenge. Worker Deaths Grave concerns have arisen in regards to the treatment of migrant construction workers in Doha. Following the trend established by early statistics, 4000 construction workers are expected to die by the time World Cup construction is complete. These deaths are across the board, including roadworks, new buildings and new stadiums. Not all of the reported 900 deaths to have occurred between confirmation of Qatar’s successful bid and early 2014 were related to World Cup construction. However, it raises the issue of health and safety in the Qatari construction industry. Imported workers struggle daily with Qatar's oppressive heat. Source: CNN. Also of concern is the migrant worker policy. There are reports that migrant workers (of which there are reputedly 1.2 million in the small nation) have their passports removed from them when they arrive in the country. They are then required in many cases to pay off debts, a form of indentured servitude. While this may seem extreme, Qatar claims its conditions for migrant workers are among the best in the Arab world.

Nepalese workers, who are the largest group of imported workers, are dying at a rate of one per day. The Western world has expressed considerable concern at the high number of worker deaths. In response to that and criticism from the global football community, Qatar has promised to enforce new regulations for worker safety, including improved accommodation and sanitation as well as a maximum temperature for working. Heat Concerns One of the greatest concerns surrounding the 2022 World Cup is that of heat. During the summer, when the World Cup is scheduled to be held, average high temperatures exceed 38 °C and can approach or even exceed 47 °C. Rainfall during the summer months is almost unheard of. The extreme temperatures create a number of issues. Player health receives the majority of media attention. There are concerns that some teams simply won’t be able to play well in the heat, and players are likely to run a high risk of dehydration and heat stroke. There have been suggestions that the World Cup should be moved to a different period on the calendar. However, it is currently scheduled for the northern hemisphere summer because June/July is the off-season for European teams. There is not a lot of room to manoeuvre around that period.

One of the solutions to the issue that has been proposed by Qatari authorities is air-conditioned stadiums. While an absolutely immense technological prospect, it is believed that the temperature inside the stadiums can be controlled to some degree. Considering Qatar has the world’s third largest supply of gas, they are in a good position to cope with the immense energy requirements of cooling a stadium. Corruption Qatar’s successful bid has been followed by numerous reports of bribery and corruption. There have been multiple intimations made by journalists and leading football figures that Qatar used their considerable resource wealth to “buy” the World Cup, either overtly or through subtle economic pressures. Two FIFA Executive Committee members, including the Vice President of FIFA, were suspended and have both since resigned amid allegations that they received bribes from Qatari officials. A number of other FIFA officials have been accused of taking bribes. The FIFA Executive Committee contains only 24 members and decides the World Cup host nation, so members accepting bribes raises major concerns. There are also claims that Qatar has brought their influence on world energy resources to bear against powerhouses such as France and Germany, prompting representatives from those nations to align themselves with the Qatari bid or face potential consequences.

Qualification The qualification process for the 2022 World Cup has not yet been announced. Depending on the number of nations who will compete at the World Cup Finals (it may increase from 32 to 40), the qualification rounds could differ. There may also be extra concessions granted to the AFC in order to allow more Middle Eastern nations to compete. Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, has indicated his desire to strengthen the game in the Middle East, a region which has not before hosted a World Cup. Article originally by Rohan Davidson on 23.05.2014 Share:

Question: What Middle Eastern country is scheduled to host the World Cup in 2022?
Answer: Qatar