FIFA president Gianni Infantino predicts the 2022 World Cup will be “an unforgettable event” despite a continuing lack of clarity over the number of teams involved and where matches will be played.

Qatar’s awarding of the tournament was controversial due to the country’s lack of soccer heritage, poor human rights record and hot weather that resulted in a switch from the typical June-July dates to November and December.

In August, Qatar’s World Cup bid team denied allegations it conducted a smear campaign to increase their chances of hosting the 2022 tournament.

But Infantino, who has proposed expanding the tournament from 32 teams to 48 nations, feels the first ever World Cup in the Middle East will be a positive experience.

“I think that all the ingredients are there to make the World Cup in 2022 an unforgettable event,” Infantino told FIFA.com in an interview Wednesday to mark four years to the start of the tournament.

“It will be a World Cup hosted by a country, which has all the infrastructure and the possibilities ready to welcome the world to Qatar.”(SD-Agencies)