France has pulled out of hosting the 2025 Rugby League World Cup with organisers citing financial reasons for the decision.
The International Rugby League (IRL) says it will now consider other options for the 2025 tournament, with the board due to meet in July.
IRL chair Troy Grant says despite their focus having been on France, they will now accelerate their consideration of other contingency options.
Grant also says the 2025 tournament in France was to consist of four versions of the World Cup format; men's, women's, wheelchair and youth.
It is too soon for the IRL to find a replacement host for a 2025 World Cup.
That would leave 2026 clear for the next World Cup, with time enough to organise properly.
The best chance for the tournament to take place would be if Australia or New Zealand as hosts, and that's a mouth-watering prospect given the rise of the Pacific nations.
Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Papua New Guinea don't have the infrastructure to stage an event like this, but they do have huge supporter bases living in both Australia and New Zealand that would help fill stadiums given the emerging success in recent years of all those countries' rugby league sides.
Source: BBC
