Qatar 2022

The only American connection to the World Cup in 2022 will be the military base in Doha.

Holding the voting for two World Cups on the same date was not the only dubious first by FIFA.  The utterly incredulous decision to award the 2022 World Cup to a rank outsider, with no facilities or pedigree of any kind, was surely the coup-de-grace.  On December 2 2010, shortly after awarding the 2018 edition to Russia, in another surprise decision, the FIFA executive committee went one better by giving the 2022 tournament to the tiny Gulf nation.  Like Russia, Qatar is rich in hydrocarbon wealth, having the world’s second largest natural gas field.  One suspects, with good reason too, that mineral wealth went further in convincing voting delegates than the pure merit of the bid itself.  Apparently, new space age stadiums which will use massive air-conditioning to keep players and fans cool (a necessity in June and July, when the tournament is slated for) while allowing themselves to be dismantled and shipped to other developing nations was a large part of the technical bid.  However the award is still a joke, as better qualified nations like Australia (having hosted the Olympics twice) and the USA, who has hosted an excellent tournament in 1994, were overlooked.  The Americans were especially optimistic as both the continued success of the MLS as well as the growth of grass-roots football in the country, were seen as the perfect foil for a strong World Cup bid.  Qatar, on the other hand, has never made it to the World Cup and possesses no Asian Cup record to speak of.  The local top division was notable for being a massive retirement cheque for over the hill ex-superstars like Romario and Luis Figo while the national team has recently been called up for nationalising Brazilians in order to raise their performance.  Already top football executives are calling for the tournament to be moved from the summer months.  Watch this space.