The United States of America will not host the 2022 F.I.F.A. World Cup.
A voting committee in Zurich, Austria, just made the announcement. The U.S. was hoping to host its second World Cup in 2022, 18 years after the first tournament on U.S. soil in 1994.
While many expected the U.S. to win the bid, the money and state-of-the-art stadiums promised by the Qatari delegation won out in the end. The country is known for high temperatures and a lack of soccer culture–they’ve never qualified for a World Cup and are currently ranked 113th in the world. But a lot can change in 12 years, and the prospect of a World Cup in the Middle East is interesting, to say the least. As disappointed as I am, these proposed stadiums are pretty cool: