ANKARA

The Japan Football Association (JFA) Monday confirmed that the country withdrew its bid to host FIFA's 2023 Women's World Cup.

"The decision to withdraw from the bid was taken after careful and thorough consideration in the Japan Bid Committee as well as the JFA Executive Committee," the JFA said in a statement.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world and also the whole football family hard. We will continue to support the severely affected football clubs financially and work together with all stakeholders to bring back the world where we can safely enjoy the game we all love," it added.

Two bids from three countries compete to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as Australia, New Zealand and Colombia are the candidate nations to host the tournament.

FIFA will declare the host nation for 2023 Women's World Cup on June 25.