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The 2018 and 2022 Bidders: England, US, Russia, and Qatar
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England had Wembley Stadium, 90,000 seats, Prince William, David Beckham, and the world's most-watched soccer league. The US had 18 venues averaging 78,000 seats, Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and a built-in fan base for virtually every competing nation. These were the obvious frontrunners. Russia, by contrast, had Vladimir Putin showing little interest and a bid characterised by its vast, remote geography. Qatar had no qualifying stadiums, extreme summer heat, and needed to build nine new arenas plus an entire supporting city. England's bid committee was so worried about Russia that they hired former MI6 officer Christopher Steele to spy on the competition. Steele initially found Putin's campaign weak — until Russia's 2014 Winter Olympics win changed everything.
Vladimir Putin was initially apathetic about Russia's World Cup bid. But after winning the 2014 Winter Olympics hosting rights, he suddenly recognised sport as a tool for rehabilitating Russia's image, boosting his own domestic popularity, and distracting from political controversies including a potential Crimea invasion.
To build nine new stadiums in 12 years, Qatar would rely on its migrant worker population under the kafala system — which gives employers near-total control over employees' lives. Amnesty International and other groups called the arrangement a modern-day form of slavery.
