Hijjah, 1431/Dec. 02, 2010, SPA -- Russia will host the World Cup in 2018. The country was awarded the tournament Thursday in a vote by the FIFA executive committee. It beat competition from England, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands, according to AP. Russia called on FIFA to help shape the country's future, with bid officials saying the organization could help Russia achieve its modernizing mission more quickly. The bid was without Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who decided to stay at home despite long being heralded as «team captain» of the campaign.
