Years of planning and wooing in an effort to earn the right to host soccer’s biggest event- the quadrennial World Cup culminated in Zurich today when FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter opened the envelopes to reveal Russia and Qatar as the winners based on a vote of the FIFA Executive Committee.
In what has to be considered a bit of an upset, Russia, which has never hosted the World Cup, with the support of powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (in absentia) and government promises to finance new stadiums, defeated England and combined bids from Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium to earn the right to be host for 2018.
England, the birthplace of the sport, despite a great fan base, brilliant stadiums and which last hosted in 1966, recently made some enemies among FIFA with extensive media coverage on the dark side of the bid process and votes for sale. Like America in bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games, England was embarrassed with a first round elimination.
Russia’s campaign was aided by South Africa’s successful staging of World Cup 2010 in easing concerns about crime and security.
Qatar, the 2022 winner, also has to be considered somewhat of an upset. Fueled by oil money that was funneled to obtain celebrity endorsements, like the great former player Zinadine Zidane, the tiny Mid East nation becomes the engine that could in taking the sport to a new level in that region of the world.
Despite concerns about the oppressive heat as a health risk for the players in the desert land, the soccer powers of this country about the size of Connecticut promises to build state-of-the-art air conditioned stadiums and training sites. They have committed to spend $50 billion on infrastructure upgrades and $4 billion to build nine stadiums and renovate three others.
Qatar defeated bids from Australia, South Korea, Japan and the United States.
America’s strength – logistics, ready-made stadiums and the lure of soccer taking a quantum leap in the world’s biggest economy, joins Australia with its time zone issues and former hosts South Korea and Japan in the also-ran category. The 1994 World Cup held in the United States still holds the record for overall attendance.
It would appear the keys to victory for both these countries were strong government guarantees combined with the ability to underwrite funding by its huge natural energy reserves.
Never before has FIFA awarded two World Cups on the same day and now its course is set for the next dozen years by awarding host honors of its marquee event to places that have not done so before.
“We go to new lands,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.
