Buzzfeed first reported a tweet by commentator Jorge Ramos of ESPN, which said that world soccer organization FIFA has already called upon the US to get ready should Qatar loses its rights to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar had been a controversial choice, considering that it has been plagued with allegations of bribery by Qatari officials in order to sway votes in their favor. An ongoing investigation is currently being led by FIFA investigator Michael Garcia to check the veracity of the allegations lodged against the Gulf nation.
So it was not surprising that Ramos' tweet about the US potentially getting the hosting rights for the World Cup in 2022 could be true. FIFA President Sepp Blatter himself has said that it was a mistake awarding the rights to Qatar, which would also lead to the soccer organization changing the World Cup calendar due to the unsavory temperatures in Qatar if the usual schedule of the tournament would be followed.
Blatter said in an interview with the Swiss broadcaster RTS, "Yes, it was a mistake of course, but one makes lots of mistakes in life. The technical report into Qatar said clearly it was too hot but the executive committee - with a large majority - decided all the same to play it in Qatar."
The Guardian said that Blatter himself is believed to have favored the US during the voting in December 2010.
On the other hand, the US might have to stall its preparations to celebrate the winning of the 2022 World Cup hosting rights. According to Sam Borden of the New York Times, US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati has denied the report that they were advised by FIFA being the next in line to win the hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup.
Borden wrote in a tweet, "Literally just spoke to Gulati, who was completely surprised by report. "Simply not true," he told @nytimes."
