The head of the United States World Cup bid team admitted to being very down after being beaten by Qatar to host the tournament in 2022. The US had been considered a front-runner to host the World Cup in 12 years' time, but the momentum swung firmly to Qatar in recent weeks and the emirate lived up to its favourite's tag heading into the vote.

US Soccer president Sunil Gulati told www.gousabid.com: "There's no way around it: I am disappointed. Millions of US soccer fans worked hard to bring the World Cup to our country. To come up short is very difficult to take."

Gulati nevertheless paid tribute to the weight of support the bid had received from football fans in the US.

"In the face of this disappointment, we shouldn't lose track of all that we achieved," he said.

"During the past two years, the outpouring of support for soccer in the United States has been inspiring and historic. More than one million people signed on to our bid, and more than 100 million [in the US] watched last summer's World Cup.

"Thanks to your efforts, the game is stronger than ever in our country, and it will continue to grow stronger. There's no question that you've helped make a lasting impact on soccer in the United States. The entire country - and the entire world - took notice.

"Even though our Bid did not win, the future of soccer is bright in the United States."