Qatar chief says country will host 2022 World Cup: 'The only question is when, not if'

Qatar World Cup organizers have hit back at claims from a FIFA executive member that the country could lose the right to host the 2022 tournament.

Germany's FIFA member, Theo Zwanziger, said Monday that he believes the Middle East country will ultimately be stripped of football's showpiece event, citing both the extreme heat and ongoing corruption allegations as reasons.

Nasser Al Khatere, executive director of communications for Qatar 2022's supreme committee for delivery & legacy, disagrees.

"Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, despite the comments of FIFA Executive Committee member Dr. Zwanziger, which reflect his personal opinion and not that of FIFA," Al Khatere said in a statement, via FOX Soccer.

"The only question now is WHEN, not IF. Summer or winter, we will be ready. We have proven that a FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the summer is possible with state-of-the-art cooling technology.

"We have demonstrated that our cooling works in outdoor areas beyond stadiums. This summer we welcomed fans in Doha to an open-air Brazil 2014 Fan Zone with temperatures cooled to a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius."

There has yet to be a decision regarding the timing of the tournament, though, the idea of moving from summer to winter has been met with opposition from various football associations that are not too fond of having their domestic campaigns come to a halt mid-season.