The Rugby League World Cup in England has officially been postponed to next year following the withdrawal of champions Australia and New Zealand.
The tournament, which was set to feature men's, women's and wheelchair matches, was due to begin in Newcastle on October 23.
However, emergency talks were held following the decision by Australia and New Zealand to pull out of a fortnight ago over "player welfare and safety concerns" amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Tournament chief executive Jon Dutton said: "Ultimately, time and competing priorities from others forced us to make the most difficult decision in our six-year history.
"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. "
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Organisers, who are headquartered in Manchester, will now work on a new plan to stage the tournament in the autumn of 2022.
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The stadiums which had been due to stage matches this autumn included:
- Anfield
- Bramall Lane
- The Copper Box Arena in London
- Coventry Building Society Arena
- England Institute of Sport in Sheffield
- Elland Road
- Emerald Headingley Stadium
- Emirates Stadium
- Halliwell Jones Stadium
- John Smith's Stadium
- Keepmoat Stadium
- Kingston Park
- Leigh Sports Village
- The MKM Stadium
- M&S Bank Arena
- Old Trafford
- Riverside Stadium
- St James' Park
- Totally Wicked Stadium
- University of Bolton Stadium
- LNER Community Stadium
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston added: "I am disappointed that we've needed to take the decision to delay the Rugby League World Cup.
"Despite working tirelessly to explore solutions that would allow us to go ahead as planned, circumstances beyond our control have meant that postponing the Rugby League World Cup until next year is the strongest option for staging a successful tournament.
"In the best interests of the sport and its millions of supporters around the world, I look forward to the Rugby League authorities in all competing nations accommodating a rearranged tournament in 2022, so we can put on the spectacle the fans deserve."