So the new world order has a messenger - and it’s the Swiss man who told female footballers to wear sexier outfits. Sepp Blatter, the head of Fifa, announced on Thursday that Russia and Qatar, superpowers in neither football nor organisation, will host the World Cups in 2018 and 2022. That’s four consecutive World Cups in emerging markets - following on from South Africa and Brazil. China could well host the 2026 competition, making it five in a row. If football diplomacy were poker, the developing world would have a full house.
This time Fifa overlords received bids from countries with infrastructure and heritage - Spain, the Netherlands and the England - and two of the world’s three biggest economies - Japan and the USA. But no, they wanted potential: the chance to sprinkle football’s gold-dust over the emerging middle classes. Russia and Qatar better start making some serious investments.
Hot, Muslim Qatar needs air-conditioned stadiums and alcohol-serving fan zones. Russia needs to deliver on its promise of better airports, free travel to venues, and visa-free entry for foreigners. South Africa spent around $4bn on the World Cup. The demands of the tournament aren’t getting any smaller, so expect the oil giants to spend even more.
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