It's fairly absurd that the World Cup a full generation away from us in 2026 is critical for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting bids, but there's a chain reaction if China signals even a little more firmly that it will bid for the 2026 World Cup before FIFA's 24-man Executive Committee makes its determinations on 2018 and 2022 in December.

It's fairly absurd that the World Cup a full generation away from us in 2026 is critical for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting bids, but there's a chain reaction if China signals even a little more firmly that it will bid for the 2026 World Cup before FIFA's 24-man Executive Committee makes its determinations on 2018 and 2022 in December.

More good news is emerging as the United States looks to bring the 2018 or 2022 World Cup home. China's Football Association has expressed interest in bidding for the 2026 World Cup. If the bid moves forward, China would be a strong candidate; FIFA would love to bring the world's biggest sporting event to the world's most populous nation.

The USA World Cup bid has a lot going for it. Stadiums in abundance. Infrastructure up to the task. The capacity to make enough money that even FIFA should drool at the possibilities. Aside from that pesky "just hosted in 1994" problem, there are no holes in the American bid. If FIFA chooses to go in another direction, it won't be because the United States isn't the best place to hold the 2022 World Cup.

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.

CONCACAF president Jack Warner made headlines while he was in the South American nation inspecting the various venues that are planning on being used for next year's U-20 World Cup.
Outside of being his usual self, he did everything in his power to enamor the Colombian media. He masterfully mixed his diplomatic skills with Don King-like faux jingoism.

The news that China is likelyto bid to host the 2026 World Cup brings to mind a daunting number of points related to that possibility: a vast country still to be truly conquered by the game, lacking a strong domestic league, but one that (in raw television viewing numbers) already has a massive audience for the World Cup; the corruption seeped into the game in China; the politics of China; the poor performance of the Chinese national men's team; and much more.

The news that China is likelyto bid to host the 2026 World Cup brings to mind a daunting number of points related to that possibility: a vast country still to be truly conquered by the game, lacking a strong domestic league, but one that (in raw television viewing numbers) already has a massive audience for the World Cup; the corruption seeped into the game in China; the politics of China; the poor performance of the Chinese national men's team; and much more.

China is no soccer super-power but they sure could be with a World Cup.

While FIFA won't decide who will host the 2026 World Cup (man that seems forever away doesn't it?) for a couple years, possibly more than that, one bid for that World Cup could decide the next two.

Simon Kuper, the soccer columnist of the Financial Times gave his leading candidates for the 2018 and 2022 bids today saying China would decide the winner of the 2022 bid, and that would be the US.

Someone better check Sepp's back pocket after this. (Getty Images)

I had a bad feeling when I woke up this morning. Not only was my head hurting from a sinus infection and my mind spinning from the cold medicine it was the gut feeling something rough was about to go down. Sure enough FIFA announced that Qatar, not the US, would be hosting the 2022 World Cup.

In the wake of Thursday's loss to Qatar in maybe the only place U.S. soccer can lose to them (the FIFA boardroom), many American soccer fans tried to rally their spirits by immediately turning their focus to the 2026 World Cup process. An initial glance at the state of play right now for the World Cup suggests 2026 could be an even better opportunity for a United States World Cup than 2022.

Today the FIFA designated the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Why did the FIFA accelerate the process and award 2 World Cups at the same time, a first in World Cup history. I don't want to know about the underground dealings here, but several points come to mind :

• How will teams train during the 2022 Qatar World Cup?

"Football is not only about winning, football is also a school of life when you learn to lose," Sepp Blatter

No, I don't think so, Sepp. By the way, could you be any more arrogant and condescending?

I am not a big fan of passively accepting the outcome of an unfair situation.

More good news is emerging as the United States looks to bring the 2018 or 2022 World Cup home. China's Football Association has expressed interest in bidding for the 2026 World Cup. If the bid moves forward, China would be a strong candidate; FIFA would love to bring the world's biggest sporting event to the world's most populous nation.

Six months ago England were odds on favourites to win the 2018 World Cup, yet they could only manage two votes from the FIFA executive committee and went out in the first round. The English press are already calling the vote a "Humiliation for England".

2018 VOTING
1st round: England 2 (eliminated), Netherlands-Belgium 4; Spain-Portugal 7; Russia 9
2nd round: Netherlands-Belgium 2; Spain-Portugal 7; Russia 13 (Russia obtain absolute majority)

To put England's two votes in perspective, the England bid chairman Geoff Thompson was one of the executive committee members choosing hosts for 2018 and 2022, which means that England attracted only one other supporter despite intense lobbying efforts by Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham

Thompson, formerly the FA chairman for eight years, said promises to England had been broken.