On This Day in Sports: December 2, 2010
On December 2, 2010, FIFA’s Executive Committee selected Qatar to host the 2022 men’s World Cup after a multi-round vote in Zurich. Qatar defeated the United States 14-8 in the final ballot and became the first Middle Eastern nation chosen to stage the tournament. The vote took place in Zurich. Qatar won the final ballot 14-8. Those details establish the result and its setting, but the day’s importance came from the larger historical pressure surrounding the competition and the people who carried it through.
Five candidates sought the 2022 event: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and the United States. FIFA considered technical plans, commercial commitments and the promise of taking its flagship competition to a new region. Five nations entered the 2022 bidding process. The decision required four rounds of voting. Together, those points show how preparation, rules, institutions and public expectations shaped the circumstances before the decisive action began. They also separate the documented background from later legend and retrospective interpretation.
The field narrowed through four secret ballots before Qatar earned the required majority against the American bid. The result was announced alongside Russia’s selection for the 2018 tournament. The 2022 finals were the first World Cup in the Middle East. Russia was selected to host the 2018 tournament at the same meeting. The immediate result therefore involved more than a single score or statistic: it changed a record, championship, career or institution and gave contemporary audiences a clear reason to understand that the moment was unusual.
The award prompted twelve years of construction and intense scrutiny of governance, labor, climate and human rights before the finals began in November 2022. It permanently changed the geography and debate surrounding World Cup hosting. Seen from today, the event remains useful because it connects a measurable sports outcome with the systems around it—teammates, opponents, officials, venues, media and rules. The outcome was not inevitable, and its meaning did not end when play stopped. Preserving the exact date and qualifications helps explain why later generations still return to it. It also prevents a famous image or headline from replacing the fuller story of what actually happened. The best sports history holds achievement and limitation together, showing both the performance itself and the conditions that made it possible. That broader view preserves context without taking attention away from the people who performed under pressure. Contemporary reports and official records provide the firmest foundation for remembering the achievement without exaggerating what the participants could know at the time. In that sense, December 2, 2010 still offers a focused view of how athletic excellence, public memory and institutional change can meet in a single day.
The vote took place in Zurich.
Qatar won the final ballot 14-8.
Five nations entered the 2022 bidding process.
The decision required four rounds of voting.
The 2022 finals were the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Russia was selected to host the 2018 tournament at the same meeting.
Explore more "On This Day in Sports"
Discover more landmark games, records, championships, and turning points from sports history. Each day revisits the athletes, teams, and moments that shaped competition and culture.