Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 World Cups

ZURICH, (Reuters) – FIFA gave its ultimate recognition  to emerging markets today when they awarded the 2018 and  2022 editions of the prestigious and lucrative World Cup soccer  finals to Russia and Qatar.
Russia won the right to put on the 2018 World Cup, the first  time it will have been staged in Eastern Europe after 10  editions in the western half of the continent.
Qatar will stage the 2022 finals, a first both for the  Middle East and for an Arab country. It will also be the  smallest nation ever to host the World Cup with a population of  less than a million.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who announced the winners after  a vote of his executive committee in the Swiss financial  capital, said: “We go to new lands.
“Never has the World Cup been in Russia and Eastern Europe,  and the Middle East and Arabic world have been waiting for a  long time so I’m a happy president when we talk about the  development of football.”
This year’s World Cup was held in South Africa, the first  time it had been held on the African continent.   Soccer’s governing body’s executive committee voted for the  two winning bids after a fierce lobbying campaign which saw  world political leaders and top sports personalities gather in  Zurich to press their case for one of the most prestigious and  lucrative prizes in global sport.
Russia defeated the challenge of three other European  bidders, England and the joint bids of Netherlands/Belgium and  Spain/Portugal.
They were long-time among the front runners but the  non-appearance of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for campaigning  before the vote in Zurich coupled with U.S. diplomatic cables  which emerged on Wikileaks describing Russia as a “corrupt  autocracy” appeared to have damaged their bid in the past 24  hours, according to some observers in Zurich.
Qatar took the honours for 2022 over rivals Australia,  Japan, South Korea and the United States.
They committed in their bid document to FIFA building nine  new stadiums and renovating three existing grounds at a cost of  around $3 billion.
Russia deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov, whose delegation  whooped with delight on the announcement, said: “You have  entrusted us with the FIFA World Cup for 2018 and I just can  promise, we all can promise, you will never regret it. Let us  make history together.”
Qatar bid chief Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani told the  FIFA executive: “Thank you for backing us and expanding the  game. You will be proud of us and you will be proud of the  Middle East.”
The voting process took place against a highly charged  background after British media outlets made allegations of  corruption against a number of FIFA’s executive committee  members.
The executive committee, reduced to 22 after two were  suspended over the allegations, voted in secret. No details of  the counts were made available immediately by FIFA but bid  member Gary Lineker told Reuters that England had gone out in  the first round of voting for 2018.
Iberian bid leader Miguel Angel Lopez said Russia had gained  an absolute majority on the second round of voting for 2018,  eliminating the two joint bids, including his own.
Putin, who said on Wednesday he would not go to Zurich  because of an “unscrupulous” campaign to smear FIFA, said  earlier on Thursday he would fly straight to Zurich if Russia  won.
The U.S. delegation said there had been four rounds of  voting for the 2022 event and that Qatar and themselves had been  in the final showdown.
It was the first time FIFA had carried out a vote for two  World Cup finals at the same time.