Qatar looks likely to become the first Arab nation to host the World Cup after its delegation submitted their bid for the 2018 event in Zurich.
President of the Qatar bid committee delivered the bid to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The file contains details of Qatar's plans for the tournament and their strategy towards making a successful bid. Qatar will be facing some stiff competition from England, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea, who have already submitted their formal bids. Other countries including Japan, Russia, Mexico and the United States are also expressing their intention to bid. But the delegation seemed very confident.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar Bid Committee, said, "First of all Qatar has made a bid because it has the ability to host such a big and important tournament, added to that its ability to represent the Middle East region in the football world. But having said all this, I do believe that it is a historical moment for Qatar that its bid has been approved by FIFA, and this will be a good and positive thing not only for Qatar but for the whole region."
The FIFA executive committee will vote on the hosts of both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010.
