New dates for the postponed 2021 Rugby World Cup have been announced, with the women's showpiece tournament moving to October and November 2022.
It's slightly later in the calendar than the original September to October dates for the 2021 competition in New Zealand, which was postponed by a year due to the impact of Covid.
Matches will now take place between October 8 and November 12, 2022, in Auckland and Whangarei.
The tournament window has jumped from 35 to 43 days, allowing for an increased rest period - a minimum of five days - for players between games. World Rugby says this aligns with the approach recently approved for the men's competition.
Extending the World Cup also allows for a revamped format which will see all fixtures played on weekends, with triple-header matches and no overlap between games in what will be a boost for visibility of the game.
2022 Rugby World Cup dates
The pool stages will be played on the weekends of October 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23, at Eden Park, Northlands Events Centre in Whangarei and Waitakere Stadium.
The quarter-finals will take place on October 29-30, followed by semi-finals on Saturday, November 5, 2022.
The bronze final and final will be played on Saturday, November 12, when Eden Park will make history by becoming the first stadium to have hosted both the men's and women's Rugby World Cup finals.
Match schedules and broadcast timings are set to be announced at a later date, World Rugby said.
Wales, New Zealand, England, France, USA, Canada and Australia qualified for the next World Cup after finishing in the top seven of the 2017 edition. A total of 12 teams will participate.
This is the first women's edition of the tournament to go ahead since World Rugby announced in 2019 that its flagship 15s and sevens World Cups will no longer include genders in their titles. It was a first for any major sports federation, a move which World Rugby said furthered "its commitment to equality and brand consistency" while "eliminating any inherent or perceived bias towards men's only competitions and tournaments, which traditionally haven't specified gender".
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: "We are fully committed to accelerating the women's game at all levels and while the postponement was disappointing for everyone, it has provided the unique opportunity to review every aspect of the event to ensure it is the best it can be for the players, fans around the world and the wonderful and enthusiastic New Zealanders.
"Longer rest periods between matches for all teams is further commitment to delivering comprehensive player welfare standards at RWC 2021.
"I would like to thank all stakeholders for their support and open-minded approach to this process and we can now look forward to a truly spectacular Rugby World Cup 2021, playing in 2022."
Tournament director Michelle Hooper said: "The momentum for women's sport is continuously building and we look forward to demonstrating this to the world through the unstoppable energy that will be on display during Rugby World Cup in 2022.
"We can't wait to welcome the world's best women's rugby players to our shores and share the Manaakitanga so intrinsically linked to our people and our place and rugby in Aotearoa, New Zealand with them and their fans."