Nearly 12 years later, it stands as a moment that defies logic.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter stood at a podium in Zurich, Switzerland, and prepped the convened dignitaries for the second World Cup host announcement of the night. Moments earlier, Russia had been awarded the 2018 World Cup, with Blatter lauding it as something that would "do a lot of good for [that] part of the world." Then he turned his attention to 2022. Blatter listed the candidates -- Australia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and the United States of America -- before delivering the line that has been replayed endlessly in the decade-plus since: "The winner to organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar.