• Decision on date will be made next month • Fifa pushes ahead with preparations for 2018 World Cup in Russia

A decision on the date for the election of Sepp Blatter’s successor as Fifa president will be taken next month with 16 December looking a possible option. Fifa said an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee will take place in July when the date for a congress to hold the presidential election will be set.

Blatter announced he would resign last Tuesday – four days after he was re-elected for a fifth term – following corruption charges against Fifa officials which caused the biggest crisis in the world governing body’s history.

A Fifa spokesperson said: “It requires an extraordinary executive committee to confirm a date and agenda for the extraordinary elective congress. This extraordinary executive committee will convene in July, the precise date to be confirmed this week. There are currently various date options for discussion at this extraordinary executive committee meeting.”

Blatter confirmed his departure at a hastily-arranged press conference in Zurich and said he would stay as president until the election which is due to be held between December and March, and it is understood mid-December is viewed as an option.

Fifa is pushing ahead with preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the organisation’s secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, attended a meeting of the organisers in the city of Samara in the Volga region on Wednesday.

Valcke, who has found himself at the heart of allegations that South Africa paid a $10m (£6.5m) bribe to Jack Warner via Fifa’s executive office, said after the meeting: “Overall the preparations for the Fifa Confederations Cup and the Fifa World Cup as well as our first major event, the preliminary draw, are well under way and on schedule.”

Russia’s 2018 local organising committee chairman, Vitaly Mutko, said: “Here in Samara we made certain again that Russia is ready to present the wonderful gift to the rest of the World – 2018 Fifa World Cup. So as St Petersburg, one of the beautiful cities of Russia, is ready to host the first official event of 2018 Fifa World Cup, the preliminary draw.

“We as a host country continue to fulfil our obligations to prepare all the events and projects of 2018 Fifa World Cup in time, we are well on track and on schedule. There’s no doubt all the events of 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia will go through at top level.”