The impact of a television advert featuring bid ambassador Zinedine Zidane [ Images ] has edged Qatar narrowly ahead in the race to host the 2022 World Cup finals, London [ Images ] bookmakers William Hill said on Tuesday.

France [ Images ] World Cup-winner Zidane is among a number of high profile soccer celebrities, including Barcelona [ Images ] coach Pep Guardiola, supporting the Gulf State's campaign and the ad has been shown in various countries and on satellite TV.

In the advert, the former Real Madrid [ Images ] playmaker goes back to where he grew up in Marseille [ Images ] and says it was tough to succeed coming from a family with Algerian roots but he did and hopes a World Cup in the Middle East can give Arab kids a chance.

"It's impressed us enough to make them (Qatar) favourites. We quote them at 4-9 ahead of Australia [ Images ] at 3-1 and the United States at 7-2," a spokesman for William Hill said.

William Hill rank Japan [ Images ] and South Korea, the co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup, as outsiders at 33-1 and 40-1 respectively.

The British bookie's confidence is a welcome boost for Qatar whose bid failed to totally impress FIFA's [ Images ] inspectors who raised concerns in their evaluation report about the impact of 50 degree centigrade temperatures in June and July.

Hill's also ranked Russia [ Images ] as 10-11 favourites to win the right to stage the 2018 finals followed by England [ Images ] (6-4), Portugal/Spain (7-2) and Netherlands/Belgium (50-1).