KUALA LUMPUR: Fifa have cancelled next year's U-17 and U-20 World Cups due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the federation announced on Thursday.
The Under-17 World Cup was supposed to take place in Peru and the U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
Both countries will now be hosting the respective tournaments in 2023.
"The Covid-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for the hosting of international sporting events and to have a restrictive effect on international travel," Fifa said in a statement.
"We would like to express gratitude to the host member associations, as well as the authorities in Indonesia and Peru, for their commitment and the tournament preparations made so far."
Fifa's announcement means that the AFC Under-19 Championship in Uzbekistan in March has lost its glitter as it was supposed to serve as a qualifier for the Under-20 World Cup.
National youth coach Brad Maloney said the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have not issued a statement regarding the matter.
The AFC tournament could also be cancelled if the global Covid-19 situation does not improve.
"It is disappointing, but we will have to respect the decision. We would have had a good chance of qualifying for the Under-20 World Cup this year.
"However, the AFC have not issued a statement yet, so we will go with our plans to call-up players for a camp next month, for now," said the Australian on Friday.
The current batch of players, including Belgian-based Luqman Hakim Shamsudin and US-based Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal, will not be eligible for the Under-20 World Cup in 2023.