Fifa will announce on Friday that Qatar faces no threat to its right to host the 2022 World Cup, sources close to the governing body have told BBC Sport.
The Gulf state faces allegations about its treatment of migrant workers, while there are also fears that searing summer temperatures in Qatar of more than 40C could risk the health of players and supporters.
But it appears Fifa will stick by Qatar, which saw off competition from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to host the event.
Fifa is expected to announce plans to monitor the issue of migrant workers on Friday following revelations last month in the Guardian.
At the same time, it also intends to form a taskforce - likely to be led by Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa - to examine alternative dates for the tournament.
The body will engage with all significant stakeholders, including domestic leagues across the world, before quickly reporting back to Fifa with a plan of action.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who said in August that he wanted to move the tournament away from the traditional months of June and July, intended for the world governing body to vote for a scheduling switch on Friday in Zurich.
But a number of Fifa's influential executive committee members, among them Uefa president Michel Platini, felt more time was needed for proper consultations to take place.
If Fifa decides to switch the timings of the 2022 World Cup, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the head of the Fifa inspection team that assessed Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid, believes the tournament should be moved to January and February, when temperatures in the Gulf state average about 22C.
However, that could lead to a potential clash with other big sporting events, notably the Winter Olympics and American football's Super Bowl, as well as domestic football leagues and the Champions League.
New International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has said he is confident there will be no clash with the Winter Olympics.
American TV network Fox, World Cup rights-holder for North America, is understood to be concerned over the commercial implications of any move that would see any clash with the NFL season, let alone the Super Bowl.
If the IOC and Fox can be accommodated, Fifa could still face the ire of Australia, Japan, South Korean and the United States, who all lost out to Qatar in the race to stage the 2022 World Cup.
Australia is demanding compensation from Fifa, arguing that it based its bid on a World Cup held in June and July.
Football's governing body claims there are no grounds for compensation as all bidders had to accept there could be a change to the schedule at the governing body's behest.
The executive committee's meeting began on Thursday, when Brazil's preparations for next year's World Cup were discussed.
Former France, Fulham, Manchester United and Everton striker Louis Saha told BBC Sport he thought it was impossible for players to handle the Middle Eastern country's extremely high summer temperatures.
"I was in Qatar recently and it was 48C," he said. "Believe me, it is impossible to have a proper game down there."
In recent months there has been opposition to moving the tournament, notably from the English Premier League, whose chief executive Richard Scudamore predicted "chaos" if a switch to the northern hemisphere winter is approved.
Fifa's decision makers
The 25-strong executive committee that will decide the fate of the 2022 World Cup
President: Joseph S Blatter, Switzerland (pictured above).
Senior vice-president: Julio H Grondona, Argentina.
Vice-presidents: Issa Hayatou, Cameroon, Angel María Villar Llona, Spain, Michel Platini, France, David Chung, Papua New Guinea, HRH Prince Ali Bin AL Hussein, Jordan, Jim Boyce, Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Webb, Cayman Islands.
Members: Michel D'Hooghe, Belgium, Senes Erzik, Turkey, Worawi Makudi, Thailand, Marios Lefkaritis, Cyprus, Jacques Anouma, Ivory Coast, Rafael Salguero, Guatemala, Hany Abo Rida, Egypt, Vitaly Mutko, Russia, Mohamed Raouraoua, Algeria, Theo Zwanziger, Germany, Marco Polo Del Nero, Brazil, Sunil Gulati, USA, Eugenio Figueredo, Uruguay, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Bahrain, Zhang Jilong, China, Lydia Nsekera, Burundi.
The Gulf state faces allegations about its treatment of migrant workers, while there are also fears that searing summer temperatures in Qatar of more than 40C could risk the health of players and supporters.
But it appears Fifa will stick by Qatar, which saw off competition from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to host the event.
Fifa is expected to announce plans to monitor the issue of migrant workers on Friday following revelations last month in the Guardian.
At the same time, it also intends to form a taskforce - likely to be led by Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa - to examine alternative dates for the tournament.
The body will engage with all significant stakeholders, including domestic leagues across the world, before quickly reporting back to Fifa with a plan of action.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who said in August that he wanted to move the tournament away from the traditional months of June and July, intended for the world governing body to vote for a scheduling switch on Friday in Zurich.
But a number of Fifa's influential executive committee members, among them Uefa president Michel Platini, felt more time was needed for proper consultations to take place.
If Fifa decides to switch the timings of the 2022 World Cup, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the head of the Fifa inspection team that assessed Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid, believes the tournament should be moved to January and February, when temperatures in the Gulf state average about 22C.
However, that could lead to a potential clash with other big sporting events, notably the Winter Olympics and American football's Super Bowl, as well as domestic football leagues and the Champions League.
New International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has said he is confident there will be no clash with the Winter Olympics.
American TV network Fox, World Cup rights-holder for North America, is understood to be concerned over the commercial implications of any move that would see any clash with the NFL season, let alone the Super Bowl.
If the IOC and Fox can be accommodated, Fifa could still face the ire of Australia, Japan, South Korean and the United States, who all lost out to Qatar in the race to stage the 2022 World Cup.
Australia is demanding compensation from Fifa, arguing that it based its bid on a World Cup held in June and July.
Football's governing body claims there are no grounds for compensation as all bidders had to accept there could be a change to the schedule at the governing body's behest.
The executive committee's meeting began on Thursday, when Brazil's preparations for next year's World Cup were discussed.
Former France, Fulham, Manchester United and Everton striker Louis Saha told BBC Sport he thought it was impossible for players to handle the Middle Eastern country's extremely high summer temperatures.
"I was in Qatar recently and it was 48C," he said. "Believe me, it is impossible to have a proper game down there."
In recent months there has been opposition to moving the tournament, notably from the English Premier League, whose chief executive Richard Scudamore predicted "chaos" if a switch to the northern hemisphere winter is approved.
Fifa's decision makers
The 25-strong executive committee that will decide the fate of the 2022 World Cup
President: Joseph S Blatter, Switzerland (pictured above).
Senior vice-president: Julio H Grondona, Argentina.
Vice-presidents: Issa Hayatou, Cameroon, Angel María Villar Llona, Spain, Michel Platini, France, David Chung, Papua New Guinea, HRH Prince Ali Bin AL Hussein, Jordan, Jim Boyce, Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Webb, Cayman Islands.
Members: Michel D'Hooghe, Belgium, Senes Erzik, Turkey, Worawi Makudi, Thailand, Marios Lefkaritis, Cyprus, Jacques Anouma, Ivory Coast, Rafael Salguero, Guatemala, Hany Abo Rida, Egypt, Vitaly Mutko, Russia, Mohamed Raouraoua, Algeria, Theo Zwanziger, Germany, Marco Polo Del Nero, Brazil, Sunil Gulati, USA, Eugenio Figueredo, Uruguay, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Bahrain, Zhang Jilong, China, Lydia Nsekera, Burundi.