Worries about the extreme temperatures in the Gulf in June and July have led to suggestions the tournament could instead be staged in the winter, causing a major headache for the scheduling of domestic leagues.
However, Blatter told BBC Radio Five Live: “I think for the time being this matter is on ice. We have just signed the final documents and the delegation from Qatar was here in FIFA House, and everything is settled now, but it's settled for the summer and all the 64 matches in the territory of Qatar.”
Blatter also appeared to confirm that there was an alliance between the World Cup bids from Spain/Portugal and Qatar ahead of December's vote in Zurich. Both countries were accused of collusion, and although Spain/Portugal missed out in the tender for the 2018 event, Qatar secured the hosting rights to the 2022 tournament.
“I'll be honest, there was a bundle of votes between Spain and Qatar, but it was a nonsense,” said Blatter. “It was there but it didn't work, not for one side and not for the other side.”
Following England's humiliating exit in the first round of voting for the 2018 World Cup, UK Prime Minister David Cameron described global football governance as “murky”. However, Blatter defended FIFA by saying: “I don't like the word murky in this context. If England had got past the first round, I'm sure they would have got more votes in the second round, but the problem was they didn't get through, and the same happened to Australia for 2022.”
