We now know that the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar. Here is a quick look at some of the venues that the games will be played at. Many of these soccer stadiums have not yet been built but from for look, it seems that the new stadiums could have played a role in Qatar winning the 2022 World Cup bid.

"Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out." --Ernest Lawrence Thayer, from Casey At the Bat The United States lost its 2022 World Cup bid today to tiny Qatar, a tiny (and I know this isn't politically correct, these days) Middle Eastern.

Six months down the line, the general consensus seems to be that the World Cup held in South Africa this summer was the worst on record.

Far too many god-awful games, a peppering of overwrought gamesmanship, flagrant continent rape on FIFA's part and the tinnitus-inducing drone of the relentless vuvuzelas did not a 'Rainbow Tournament' make rather, a bit of a botch all things considered.

PARIS, France - FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Qatar's neighboring countries could host games at the 2022 World Cup. Qatar was designated the 2022 World Cup last week, despite concerns that the intense heat poses a serious health risk if the tournament is played in summer. In an interview with sports daily L'Equipe on Thursday, [.

Sepp Blatter appears to support a winter World Cup in Qatar. (AP Photo)

I thought I was done talking about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but this news has me a bit excited. FIFA President Sepp Blatter and General Secretary Jerome Valcke expressed interest in moving the 2022 World Cup to winter in order to avoid the sweltering summer months of Qatar.

Sepp Blatter appears to support a winter World Cup in Qatar. (AP Photo)

I thought I was done talking about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but this news has me a bit excited. FIFA President Sepp Blatter and General Secretary Jerome Valcke expressed interest in moving the 2022 World Cup to winter in order to avoid the sweltering summer months of Qatar.

When FIFA voted to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it was promoted as "bringing football to a new world and a new culture" as well as bringing the World Cup to the "entire Middle East." And now, it seems that sentiment might be taken quite literally by the game's governing bodies as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar may very well change the way have ever held the tournament before.

England bagged just two votes FIFA has released an official voting record for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on its website. Unfortunately, we don't yet know who voted for what but it does confirm that England's 2018 bid crashed out in the first round of voting with just two votes. See the full records [.

WASHINGTON, DC — President Barack Obama says FIFA made the "wrong decision" in awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar over the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation spent millions of dollars on its bid. Former President Bill Clinton was highly involved in the process and participated in the closing presentation.

For someone like me who has ties to both England and the United States, the decision by FIFA to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments to Russia and Qatar respectively hurts.

I watched the announcement Thursday morning on BBC World News from my cabin aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship while sailing north west of Cuba on unusually stormy seas.

Quotes from US soccer personalities regarding losing the 2022 World Cup bid to Qatar:

US Soccer President Sunil Gulati
"It's politics, it's friendships and relationships, it's alliances, it's tactics."

"There are far too many permutations, especially with two World Cups being decided on the same day, and I am not smart enough to figure out how all those played out in these two elections.

Swamped today, but I wanted to get these things out there:

• Yes, the USA got hosed on hosting the 2022 World Cup. It happens. Jeff Bradley nails it in that this wasn't going to be The Thing That's Going To Make Us (no one thing is). This is how the game works now, boys and girls.

Let's admit it, from the perspective of the average football fan, the idea of holding the World Cup finals in a country controlled by Sharia law (though the civil judicial system also contains the Adlia court with roots in British common law). The World Cup finals, from the vantage point of the typical football fan, involves drinking numerous alcoholic beverages, the presence of many scantily clad women, and the consumption of numerous pork products.

Man oh man, what a few weeks it's been. Apologies for the brief hiatus but the finals crunch has proved pretty time consuming. So I figured now would be as good a time as any to introduce a new segment called "In case you've been living under a rock..." where I'll run through all the top events that I've missed since my last post.

With a few days perspective, Christopher Riordan and myself are set to give our thoughts on the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup. On this edition of the Major League Soccer Talk podcast, we talk about the decision, FIFA corruption, American entitlement and exceptionalism, press failings, and how to move forward.

At the risk of sounding like American-hating, socialist-sympathizing, Hispanic-espousing, nothing-new-to-be-saying Paul Gardner...it's time for U.S. soccer fans to get over it. This decision that FIFA made on the 2022 World Cup: holding the World Cup in a country that could not qualify on its own, a country without a world-class player from inside its borders, a country whose bid book was wrapped in money.

On Wednesday, as I sat in the studio with two microphones clipped to my tie and makeup on my face, I was put in the position of acting as a defense witness for the U.S. bid. It was all very good natured, but it revealed some of the biases against, and criticisms of, the effort to bring the 2022 World Cup to America.

So the verdict is out.

"For 2018 and 2022 we go to new lands, because the FIFA World Cup has never been in eastern Europe or the Middle East." says FIFA's president Joseph Blatter.

Yeah, we'll pretend that is the reason since there is absolutely nothing one can do about it. And I say this really in regards to Qatar, not Russia.

So the verdict is out.

"For 2018 and 2022 we go to new lands, because the FIFA World Cup has never been in eastern Europe or the Middle East." says FIFA's president Joseph Blatter.

Yeah, we'll pretend that is the reason since there is absolutely nothing one can do about it. And I say this really in regards to Qatar, not Russia.

Football, is not coming home. The 2018 World Cup will be held in Russia.

We haven't covered the bidding process that much here at WCB, mainly because its been a bit boring, despite the English Press best efforts. I'm more dissapointed than I thought I'd be to be honest, but on the other hand, I do think Russia will be put on a good show and good for them.

A few hours after FIFA's announcement that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, most people I've talked to share the same two feelings -- expectation and surprise. Since Russia had already been considered a strong contender before the BBC's Panorama program severely damaged England's bid, their victory announcement was not preceded by much suspense.

A few hours after FIFA's announcement that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, most people I've talked to share the same two feelings -- expectation and surprise. Since Russia had already been considered a strong contender before the BBC's Panorama program severely damaged England's bid, their victory announcement was not preceded by much suspense.

Considering the United States isn't a soccer country in the myopic eyes of some, the local media in Houston did a good job of covering both FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup finals to Qatar and the news that the Houston Dynamo and Harris County-Houston Sports Authority have reached a lease agreement on the forthcoming Houston Dynamo soccer specific stadium.

I've had about eleven hours to think about the results of the 2022 World Cup announcement, read my peers, and come to grips with the failure of the USSF to land the World Cup. And I think I have a handle on my thoughts and emotions about today. I watched the announcement via the EPL Talk live blog and Twitter, so I was spared the gut-punch of seeing the card with Qatar on it.

World Cup Host announcement fallout headlines

From ESPN: "World Cup decisions defy logic"
From SI.com: "World Cup bid process flawed and in need of greater transparency"
From The Guardian: "World Cup 2002: 'Political craziness' favours Qatar's winning bid"
From AFP: "US fans vent frustration over failed World Cup bid"
From Goal.

Russia and Qatar. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be going where no World Cup has gone before.
I was fairly unmoved by the whole shebang surrounding the bidding process. Certainly a fair few English noses have been put out of joint.
And many English journalists are now ranting and raving about the power of money and the questionable attitudes of the two countries to human rights and media freedom.

A week after the US loss of the 2022 World Cup, much ink and internet type has been spilled on whether the U.S. deserved the bid or was robbed, whether we American soccer fans have a false sense of entitlement or a shady process overwhelmed everything, and even whether U.S. soccer is ok without the Cup or seriously set back.

Cover photo by Paul Rudderow

Union

Further information on the rumored signing of Colombian keeper Faryd Mondragon from FC Köln, which gained some new freshness after reports in the German soccer magazine Kicker yesterday suggested the deal was done. Tip of the hat to philly.com's unfortunately named The Goalkeeper for this quote from the Union: "There have been discussions, but the deal isn't there.

PRAGUE — UEFA president Michel Platini says he's OK with the idea of shifting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to winter from summer to avoid extreme desert temperatures. After a UEFA executive committee meeting in Prague on Friday, Platini said it would be easier to organize the World Cup in January, instead of June.

Sepp plays down World Cup fears Sepp Blatter has joked that homosexuals should give celibacy a try if they head to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Concerns about hosting the World Cup in a country where drinking alcohol in public and homosexuality are illegal have been raised since the Middle East country was awarded [.

Welcome to Fergie Time, a roundup/newsletter type deal that delivers news, opinion and links directly to your screen. As the name suggests, there will be some exaggeration, nsfw moments, canceled press conferences (oh, who are we kidding) and late, late, late scoring of points. You'll like it, trust me.

The Glazers could finally have an offer they can't refuse. The Sun is reporting that Qatar Holdings, the business arm of the Qatari royal family headed by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, could be preparing a £1.5 billion take-over bid for Manchester United

"They have made tentative moves before with little success, but this time it looks like they could be going for it," said an expert in Middle East football, who is convinced that the time is right for the Qatari purchase.

By Chris Wright

Despite swirling speculation to the contrary, LA Galaxy star and bid-backer par excellence David Beckham has ruled out a loan move to Everton in January saying that a move to Merseyside would be 'too close to home', what with him being a staunch Manchester United fan 'n all.

Don Garber plays the part...

The US is about to present their case to earn the 2022 World Cup shortly.

A 12-year lead-up in the States to the World Cup? Excellent development and exposure

Just click on the link right here for the live presentations.

World Cup Vote

On Thursday, FIFA will vote for who will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. (FSC will cover the event live 9:30am ET. ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision and CNN International will also provide live coverage of the announcement, which is expected to take place around 10am. Tir Na Nog is hosting a viewing party that will include Union players, Mayor Nutter and representatives of the city's Bid Committee.

Posted by Jared Montz

Tomorrow FIFA will be announcing what countries will be hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. The U.S.A is up for the 2022 World Cup and have been pulling out all the stops to prove we should host the WC in 2022. Morgan Freeman will be narrating our video presentation, Bill Clinton has been emailing folks about it and MLS and Soccer United Marketing have donated 2 million dollars to our campaign.

We're a little late posting (as the presentation just finished sorry), but the US made their bid presentation for the 2022 World Cup to FIFA today, in Zurich, Switzerland. The group on hand was impressive, including USSF President Sunil Gulati, former United States President Bill Clinton, US Soccer star Landon Donovan, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, and American Voice-Over Narrator Laureate Morgan Freeman.

The presentation from the USA Bid Committee for the 2022 World Cup is in the books. If you didn't catch it live, you can still watch it on FIFA.com.
Here are some photos from the USA's presentation at FIFA House on a cold, snowy day in Zurich.
President Bill Clinton took the anchor leg in the presentation and closed with a flourish

Landon Donovan was one of two active players that participated in the presentations today.

Can't believe we are going to win the 2022 World Cup, but you always hope don't you.
Should we win?
Hold on to your hats. Watch the corporate dollars rushing to get a piece of the pie. Watch the reaction from across the country, the other sporting codes, the anti-football lobby etc etc.

The time for waiting is over. The final arguments are being made during the night in Zurich (and I'll leave it to your imagination what "persuasion" means in Zurich) and all that's left is the nervous waiting. So, here's your guide to the World Cup announcement:

When: Tomorrow December 2 at 10:00AM Eastern, 7:00 AM Pacific

Where: For TV viewers, you can watch the announcement on ESPN, Fox Soccer, and numerous Internet sites, including FIFA.