Qatar Still Listed as Favourite To Host World Cup

Published on May 28th, 2015 9:11 am EST
Amidst all of the arrests, scandal and worker deaths, Qatar still remains the favourite to host the 2022 World Cup.

Earlier this week, numerous FIFA officials were arrested at the request of the US Attorney General and FBI. The United States will now seek extradition of these officials where they will face charges for a wide range of different offenses.

In addition, Switzerland has opened their own criminal probe into the 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) World Cup bids. With these developments, there is now at least a possibility that Qatar, and possibly Russia, will lose the World Cup.

-

According to Ladbrokes, Qatar is still the favourite to host the 2022 World Cup, as evidenced by these odds:

Qatar, 1/6
USA, 3/1
Australia, 8/1
Germany, 12/1
South Korea, 25/1
England, 25/1
Japan, 33/1

The United States, which has witnessed an explosion in popularity of soccer over the past decade or so, were, at one time, considered the favourites to host the 2022 World Cup. The World Cup eventually went to Qatar in a decision that raised the eyebrows of many. Were FIFA officials paid off? Those were the whispers at the time and now it certainly appears to be the case.

-

The fate of the 2022 World Cup likely lies in the hands of sponsors such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola. VISA, which has a sponsorship with the World Cup until 2022, released a statement earlier this week in which they said that they were "profoundly disappointed" with recent developments and would reassess their sponsorship unless FIFA takes "swift and immediate steps" to address a number of issues. If VISA, McDonald's and Coca-Cola start withdrawing their sponsorship deals, it would seem almost impossible that Qatar would be able to keep the World Cup.

-

Many people feel that the United States, which orchestrated this recent batch of arrests, will almost certainly get the 2022 World Cup if Qatar is disqualified from hosting.

Source: Ladbrokes.com - Qatar Will Still Host 2022 World Cup Despite FIFA Turmoil

Related Articles