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Australia have been dealt a short turnaround into the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, with the tournament opener in the UK to be 13 days after the NRL grand final.

The 2022 Rugby League World Cup in England will open less than two weeks after the NRL grand final as organisers try to avoid a clash with the FIFA World Cup.

World Cup officials released a new timeline for the postponed tournament on Thursday, with the first game scheduled for October 15, 2022.

That is one week earlier than the original opening match between England and Samoa when the Cup was meant to planned for this year.

The new date will allow the final to be played on November 19, two days before attention in the UK turns to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

But it promises to be a logistical headache for Australia and the vast majority of Pacific Island teams.

The 2022 NRL grand final is scheduled for October 2.

The ARL Commission has traditionally not named squads until after the grand final, and it would still need to fly players and staff over to England.

They would also usually prefer some lead-in time in the country, particularly given there is every chance the Kangaroos' opening match could be their first game together in three years.

A full schedule is still to be announced, but given the amount of NRL players involved in the tournament it is inevitable at least some will play with a short turnaround.

It comes after both Australia and New Zealand announced they would not participate in the tournament if it went ahead in 2021, due to the pandemic.

That had initially sparked fears the World Cup could be cancelled, before officials reluctantly opted to push it back to next year rather than go ahead without the top-two ranked teams.

That has still created challenges for organisers, who must arrange grounds around the English Premier League and also fit into a chaotic 2022 in England that includes the Commonwealth Games in July and August.

"Obviously, we are disappointed the tournament will not be happening as originally planned, but we are determined to make next year a celebration of sport, unity, people, place and civic pride," RLWC21 chief executive Jon Dutton said.

"The continuing conversations with all our supportive hosts and venues have been hugely positive.

"We are confident that we can deliver a similar tournament schedule, which will be communicated as soon as possible."