FIFA has handed the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 cup to Qatar. Thats going from one extreme to another size wise but are they the right choices?
Australia had high hopes of claiming the 2022 cup and as an Australian I would have been thrilled to host it, but seriously, I can't think of a reason they'd have given it to us.
Qatar? Lots of money, reasonable timeslot, never been in that part of the world. Yeah I guess that's reasonable.
Poor old South America though, didn't they used to get it a bit more regularly, '78 Argentina and '14 Brazil that's a little harsh.

Re 2018: It is well-known that FIFA and UEFA want to get rid of 2-country bids, so it is no surprise that the SpainPortugal and HollandBelgium bid had little chance. More surprising is that England went out in the first round, but I guess that FIFA didn't want the hassle of constant negativism coming from the English press. Russia basically won by default.
Re 2022: FIFA probably wasn't convinced that Australians would have flocked to the stadiums in a wave of enthusiasm; when there is a cricket or aussie rules match going on at the same time, would they bother with soccer? Japan and Korea had a good chance, but it is important to FIFA that everybody gets their turn; arab countries is the last group that never hosted a World Cup. I am sure they rather would have given it to a more traditional football nation like Egypt or Morocco, but those countries can't be trusted to organise such a large event. The biggest argument against Qatar is its small size, but if you never try it, you never know if it holds true.
All in all, given the choices, I agree with the decisions.

The only thing I am concerned about is the temperatures in Qatar in July (~120°F or 49°C). Wouldn't that dehydrate the players?

I'm sure that Qatar has the money for indoor stadiums but if they don't they may end up playing more night games. I'm fine with the host countries, the US was a finalist for 2022 but I'm sort of glad my country didn't get the hosting bid. The rest of the world is so much more passionate about football, we're more passionate about our version of football, it just wouldn't be fitting. Better off giving it to a country that truly loves the sport.

Qatar says their stadium to be built will have a TV screen all around the outside. By all, I mean every square inch!

In their video, you can see it.

What's the difference. The world may end before 2022.

We hosted it in 1994 anyway. I remember seeing the soccer ball icons near the exits here in Dallas (I had not moved to Dallas at the time) on where to go. Not all the games were played in Dallas, but I know a few were.

Russia knows how to deal with its own journalists when they show the country in a negative light. It shoots them in the head! >Seemples<

In other World Cup news, Women's this time, what happened with the Red Card and then rekicked penalty kick in the U.S v Brazil game is one of the reasons soccer/football isn't going to be huge in the U.S.. Just having it on in the background I can tell it wasn't the best of officiating all game, the flopping and crying to the officials was at peak form as well all around. Might as well tack on the missed offides right before the Marta goal, which happened right after the questionable offisides on the other side of the field.

I can understand that. Americans are used to a lot of officials, backed up by technology if needed, but the archaic way in which soccer/football is officiated is sacred to FIFA, since they want to have the same rules in all leagues, amateur or World Cup. However, fans around the world are puzzled by referee decisions all the time (chants insulting the officials are common enough), and they still love the game. I am not sure what "huge" would be, but I think there is a market in the U.S. for football/soccer, simply because it is fun to do and fun to watch.
Incidently, I was as baffled by the refs decision as anyone. The red card was harsh, but those things happen (for example in American Football, such a ruling would not be overturned on video review). What caused the ref to give goalkeeper Hope Solo a yellow card and have the penalty retaken is anyone's guess. The only incident consistent with the Laws of the Game (ch 14) is that somewhere in the 5 secs between the refs whistle and the kick itself, Miss Solo perpetrated a grave unsportsmanlike conduct. I can only assume that she was cautioned for not standing still in the middle of the goal, a rule that has been scrapped years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAZCnYh7oGw

Understood, in terms of the officials rulings being sacred, Baseball is that way with their rules and Umpires determining the calls on the field, and I am for that part of the game. Only recently has any video replay been used and it's only for homeruns.

Sports officiating can be incosistent no matter the sport.

Toughest thing to swallow was not knowing what the foul was on such a crucial saved penalty kick, following a crushing red card in a close game.

In the end it made of a memorable game, I'll still need some time to get used to some of the rules of soccer.

Tough final today, big win for Japan, well played by the U.S., a lot of good chances missed early by the U.S.