FIFA delegates awarded Russia and Qatar the right to host World Cup tournaments in 2018 and 2022, ending a process that has been marred by accusations of vote rigging. The decision comes as a particular blow to the hopes of the U.S. delegation, whose bid for the 2022 event had long been considered the favorite.

Though it promised record-breaking profits for FIFA, the U.S. bid failed to offer FIFA the sort of transformational message and chance to make history that both FIFA and the International Olympic Committee have yearned for in recent years.

FIFA chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.

In selecting Qatar, the tiny emirate in the heart of the Middle East, FIFA chose to bring the World Cup to a Muslim nation for the first time. A desire to make history, and the opportunity to partner with the natural gas fortune of the Qatari royal family, ultimately proved irresistible to FIFA. Qatar has promised to spend $4 billion to build nine stadiums, renovate three others and equip all of them with a high-tech, outdoor air conditioning system to combat summer temperatures that can reach 120 degrees during the day. The country has vowed to spend another $50 billion on infrastructure ahead of the tournament.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, chairman of Qatar's bid, said that in the end, the vote showed that FIFA cares only so much about money and a competing country's current infrastructure. 'FIFA looked past the tournament,' he said. 'FIFA took that bold step forward to say we need to expand the game and we need to include people in the football family that have not been included before.'

Qatar won the 2022 competitiondespite reports from the British media that its officials may have attempted to rig the vote. Mr. Al-Thani responded to the allegations by saying, 'There was no alliance. This was a rumor that was never true.' Mr. Gulati declined to address the topic.

By hosting the 2018 World Cup, Russia brings the tournament to Eastern Europe for the first time and underlining the country's emergence on the international sports stage.

Jonathan Clegg / Matthew Futterman

• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同....合作 (初中英语单词)
• system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中英语单词)
• competition [,kɔmpi´tiʃən] n.比赛；竞争 (初中英语单词)
• despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
• alliance [ə´laiəns] n.联盟；同盟 (初中英语单词)
• ending [´endiŋ] n.结尾，结局 (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
• combat [´kɔmbæt] v.&n.斗争；战斗；争斗 (高中英语单词)
• expand [ik´spænd] vt.张开；膨胀；扩大 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• tournament [´tuənəmənt] n.比赛，锦标赛 (高中英语单词)
• ultimately [´ʌltimitli] ad.最后，最终 (英语四级单词)
• irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)
• delegation [,deli´geiʃən] n.代表团 (英语六级单词)