The 86-year-old was President of the governing body when the Middle Eastern country was given the event's hosting rights in 2010.

He said he was "right" to state at the time that the tournament "should not go" to Qatar for 2022.

"The choice of Qatar was a mistake," Blatter said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger.

"At the time, we actually agreed in the Executive Committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA that of 2022.

"It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the other.

"It's too small a country.

"Football and the World Cup are too big for that."

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, which had to be moved from the usual June and July slot to be held from November 20 until December 18 due to heat, is now just two weeks away and Blatter accepts he is responsible for the tournament taking place there.

FIFA's Executive Committee voted 14-8 in favour of Qatar hosting the World Cup instead of the US 12 years ago at the same time that Russia was awarded the 2018 event.

Blatter has blamed then-UEFA President Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar's favour.

"I can only repeat: the award to Qatar was a mistake, and I was responsible for that as President at the time," Blatter said.

"Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States.

"It's the truth."

Blatter also said FIFA had adjusted the criteria used to select host countries in 2012 after concerns were raised about the treatment of migrant workers building World Cup stadiums in Qatar.

"Since then, social considerations and human rights are taken into account," he added.

Earlier this year, both Blatter and Platini were cleared of fraud, embezzlement, and corruption charges related to a FIFA payment of CHF2 million (£1.75 million/$2 million/€2 million) to the Frenchman in 2011.

Qatar's hosting of the World Cup has been surrounded in controversy from the beginning.

Accusations of corruption came with the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 editions to Russia and Qatar, respectively, which led to two investigations launched by Swiss prosecutors and the United States Department of Justice.

Both countries have denied wrongdoing and were cleared by FIFA's own investigation in 2017.

Concerns over its human rights record have also been flagged with thousands of workers dying during the construction of stadia while Qatar's treatment of LGBTQ+ people has also caused outrage as same-sex relationships are criminalised.