Ireland, Italy and Scotland and the winner of the postponed Rugby Europe Women’s Championship had been due to contest the tournament next month.

World Rugby said in a statement that it would aim to rescheduled the event, where the winner will qualify for the World Cup in New Zealand, for early 2021.

The organisation said the decision to postpone had been made because "the COVID-19 situation in Europe is presenting continued travel and quarantine challenges for some teams".

"World Rugby and Rugby Europe continue to consult with unions and Six Nations Rugby Limited regarding a window that provides a fair opportunity to deliver the Europe qualifier, with the winner qualifying directly for Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand," World Rugby said.

Russia, The Netherlands and Spain are competing in the Rugby Europe Women's Championship, postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The runner-up at the European qualifier will progress to the final qualification tournament to be held in 2021.

England, France and Wales have already secured a spot at next year's World Cup based on their placings at the last edition of the event in 2017.

South Africa, Canada, the United States, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand are the other teams to have qualified for the 2021 Rugby World Cup.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the qualification process for events, including the Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

World Rugby last year adopted gender neutral names for its flagship tournaments.

The word "Women's" has been dropped from the name of female events in a bid to ensure equal billing with men's competitions.

The change came into effect with the 2021 Rugby World Cup, due to take place from September 18 until October 16.