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Russia, Qatar to host 2018, 2022 World Cups

Print | Comments () Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff December 2, 2010 07:37 AM

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Russia will be host of soccer's 2018 World Cup and Qatar will be the location in 2022 following a vote by the FIFA Executive Committee today.

Losing the 2022 World Cup marks the second high-profile defeat in as many years for the United States, which had hoped to secure the 2016 Summer Olympics for Chicago. But the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro.

Qatar's innovative plans for stadiums (watch video above) -- they'd all be climate-controlled to avoid the intense heat of the desert nation -- and FIFA's desire to bring the game to new regions likely swayed voters to get beyond concerns that Qatar would be the smallest nation ever to host.

The candidates for the 2022 World Cup -- Australia, South Korea, Japan, Qatar, and the United States -- made their final presentations yesterday. Boston was among the locations the US bid included for game sites. In 1994, the last time the US held the World Cup, games were held at Foxboro Stadium.

The 2018 contenders -- Belgium/Netherlands, Spain/Portugal, England, and Russia -- made their last pitches this morning, and the vote began at 8 a.m.

The voting was held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Bidders needed an absolute majority, or more than 50 percent of the ballot, to win.

The 2014 World Cup will be in Brazil.