Fifa today awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. It will be the first time that either country has hosted the tournament.
While both bids have proven successful, both have considerable drawbacks. Russia's size means travelling between games for both teams and supporters is likely to be time-consuming, while the heat in Qatar can reach temperatures of 50C in World Cup months. In Russia you'd also be heading to a virtual 'mafia state' according to one diplomat.
The Qatari bid chief executive, Hassan al-Thawadi, insisted. "Heat is not and will not be an issue," although the workers who will build the country's stadiums may beg to differ. The country's size is less of an issue, however – at just 4,416 sq miles, Qatar is around half the size of Wales, with a population of around 1.6m. Long-distance travel won't be a problem, but congestion may be. The foreign office advise that it is a punishable offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public in the country, while homosexuality is illegal.
So will you be travelling to Russia or Qatar for the tournaments? And if not, why not?
