Football could be coming home.
Either England or the United States may end up hosting the 2022 World Cup with Qatar reportedly in danger of losing the tournament.
Dubai news channel Al Arabiya reported on Saturday, citing German magazine Focus, that FIFA will make a final decision on whether or not to host the tournament in Qatar.
According to the report, evidence has been discovered which alleges that Qatar were guilty of buying votes. The Gulf country denies the charge. On 7 June 2015, it was announced that Qatar would no longer be eligible to host the event, if evidence of bribery was proven.
The Middle Eastern nation controversially won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup back in 2010 when it edged out England.
And yet all that is probably not enough. German sources say that the World Cup 2022 will probably not take place in Qatar, will be moved to Britain or USA. #Qatar2022 https://t.co/NeI60GM0OL
— Ksenia Svetlova كسنيا سفطلوفا (@KseniaSvetlova) February 23, 2018
Since then, debate over Qatar hosting the World Cup has raged, with the country coming under fire for its scorching hot climate in summer as well as the ill-treatment of workers building the stadiums. Various deaths have been reported and, in September 2017, Human Rights Watch reported that thousands of Qatar World Cup workers were being subjected to life-threatening heat.
Add in considerable political unrest in the region, which has seen four Arab nations sever diplomatic ties with Qatar over its support of Islamist groups, and it seems like a dangerous climate in which to host a World Cup.
Although it’s all talk at this stage, it is not completely beyond the realm of possibility that Qatar will be stripped of its hosting duties. If that were to happen, England or the United States certainly represent two strong candidates to pick up the mantle.
England the US both have the infrastructure, stadia and resources required to host the World Cup. USA last hosted it in 1994, when Brazil won, while it hasn’t been back to England since they clinched it in 1966.
