Qatar to host 2022 World Cup

Qatar will host the World Cup finals for the first time after FIFA awarded them the rights to the 2022 tournament in Zurich.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed the small Middle Eastern country's successful bid following a vote by the governing body's 22-man executive committee on Thursday.

Qatar beat bids from Australia, the United States and 2004 World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea.

The FIFA executive committees' decision comes as a slight surprise after the US and Australia bids had been highly-fancied.

Qatar's staging of the tournament had come in for some criticism because of the weather in the country during June and July - when temperatures can rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius - while the close proximity of the stadiums had also raised some questions.

Qatar's success in Thursday's vote comes just over a month before they are schedule to host the Asian Cup finals.