FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter announced the result of the FIFA Executive Committee's vote in Zurich’s Messe.
England was one of the favourites to get the games but its chances diminished after the BBC ran an expose on its current affairs program PANORAMA accusing certain FIFA officials of corruption.
As part of the lobbying effort, Prime Minister David Cameron held a meeting with Jack Warner, who is FIFA's longest serving Vice President and president of CONCACAF. England's FA President, Prince Williams, also met Warner.
But in the end the England was pushed out during the secret vote, having been elimianted in the first round of the balloting after getting just two votes. Russia obtained an absolute majority of 13 votes in the second round. The Spain/Portugal bid got 7 votes.
The Americans had also made a strong presentation for the 2022 games. President Obama made a personal phone call to Warner, who promised that the U.S. was assured of his support.
Warner made the same pledge to former President Bill Clinton. But it was not enough. FIFA voted to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
The 2022 vote went to four rounds, with Australia getting thrown out in the first vote; Japan was knocked out in the next round and the Korean Republic lost out in the third ballot, leaving Qatar and the USA.
The final ballot was 14 for Qatar and 8 for the USA.
Commenting on the vote, Warner called it "gruelling". He said, "A number of countries entered the race to host the world’s most popular tournament and many of them made truly fascinating presentations."
He added, "In the end however there can be only one winner. As President of CONCACAF I am disappointed over the fact that the U.S. did not win the rights to host the 2022. But like football there can only be one winner.
"In the final analysis, I am certain that a CONCACAF nation will host the World Cup in 2026."
Asked for his thoughts over the fact that the tournament will now be taken to two nations that have never hosted a World Cup before, Warner stated: “The power of football is universal; the game is not a constant but a changing tool for social transformation.
"By taking our flagship tournament to new territories we are signaling to the world that we live by our principle of fair play.
"A fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times. This decision will allow our game the opportunity for further growth. This tournament will now be held on virgin territories.
"We have given the Local Organizing Committees of both Russia and Qatar our golden torch to ensure that the future development and growth of this beautiful game continue.”
Warner added “We preach equality and equity…Our game has the ability to transcend all boundaries, our game unites the world under one banner, our game sees no class, ethnicity and gender, now our beautiful game has taken on yet another role, it will now be the bridge between the West and the East.
"For too long we have seen the Middle East though our tainted perceptions. Let the FIFA World Cup of 2022 bring clarity to our vision. The 2022 World Cup will be the thread that will eventually create a bonding fabric between the East and the rest of the world. Let our game reduce the distance."
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