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Qatar wins right to host 2022 World Cup Finals
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup after Fifa announced in Zurich today that they have beaten bid rivals Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
Shock: Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup despite strong bids from USA and Australia Photo: AP
By Telegraph staff and agencies 3:54PM GMT 02 Dec 2010
Fifa president Sepp Blatter confirmed the small Middle Eastern country's successful bid following a vote by the governing body's 22-man executive committee today.
Qatar beat bids from Australia, the United States and 2004 World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea.
The Fifa executive committees' decision comes as a slight surprise after the US and Australia bids had been highly-fancied.
Qatar's staging of the tournament had come in for some criticism because of the weather in the country during June and July - when temperatures can rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius - while the close proximity of the stadiums had also raised some questions.
Qatar's success in today's vote comes just over a month before they are schedule to host the Asian Cup finals.
