Russia and Qatar have been chosen to host the 2018 and 2o22 World Cups respectively following a controversial voting process from FIFA.

England were eliminated in the first round of voting with a shocking two votes whilst Russia led the entire process from nearest rivals Spain and Portugal eventually finishing with 13 votes from 22. Qatar also led the whole way after fending off competition from the USA and notching 14 votes.. Another shock occurred though, this time in the 2022 process, as Australia only picked up one vote in round one.

Russia’s selection came despite the absence of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The charismatic leader will fly out to Zurich to personally thanks FIFA leaders for their vote.

In his absence, Igor Shuvalov, Russian deputy Prime Minister, said: “You have entrusted us with the Fifa World Cup for 2018 and I can promise you will never regret it. Let us make history together.”

If Russia beating the technically sound England and Spain/Portugal bids was a surprise, then Qatar’s victory over established nations USA and Australia was a major shock.

The little oil rich Gulf state has a population of around 1.8 million and will become the first middle eastern country to ever host the event. However, there are still fears that the Islamic region will struggle to contain around 400,000 rowdy football fan in terms of space and culture.

Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatar representative, said: “We have worked very hard over past two years to get to this point. Today we celebrate, but tomorrow, the work begins. We acknowledge there is a lot of work for us to do, but we also stand by our promise that we will deliver.”

The overall decisions have not gone down with numerous countries. US president Barrack Obama was quoted as saying the 2022 decision was the wrong one whilst former Belgium international Marc Wilmots thought the decision was a negative one for football.

However, after years of campaiging and lobbying for votes, Russia and Qatar have earned the right to host the tournaments and create their own legacy.