The Rugby League World Cup has officially been postponed until 2022, after a meeting from its board on Thursday.
Officials had initially vowed to press on with the tournament in October and November despite the withdrawal of Australia and New Zealand from the tournament due to concerns regarding COVID-19.
Last week, all 16 NRL clubs announced they didn't support their players travelling to the event despite the assurance of bio-secure bubbles and private charter flights.
"Ultimately, time and competing priorities from others forced us to make the most difficult decision in our six-year history," RLWC chief executive John Dutton says.
"However, we and the sport of rugby league are resilient, and next year we will deliver our vision of the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup ever."
The tournament's organising board will now await confirmation from both Australia and New Zealand.
Organisers are also now faced with the logistical nightmare of having to rebook venues, and establish broadcasting arrangements for the 61 matches of the men's, women's and wheelchair editions of the Rugby League World Cup.
The 12-month postponement means the tournament will now be in direct competition with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which is also scheduled for late November to mid-December 2022.
