PARIS - The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held in the winter instead of the usual June-July period, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Wednesday.

"The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June-July," Valcke told Radio France.

"To be honest, I think it will be held between November 15 and January 15 at the latest."

"If you play between November 15 and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees.

"That would be perfect for playing football."

The scheduling of the tournament has been hotly debated ever since it was controversially awarded to Qatar in December 2010.

It's concerned the blistering summer in Qatar would put players in danger.