The 2013 Rugby League World Cup will be held in the United Kingdom.
A decision was made at a meeting of the Rugby League International Federation in Singapore to discuss the future of the international calendar.
Australia had been interested in staging the event again after the success of the 2008 tournament.
But it will return to the UK, which last hosted it in 2000, and be delayed by a year to avoid a clash with the 2012 Olympics in London.
Richard Lewis, the deputy chairman of the RLIF and executive chairman of the Rugby Football League, said: "It is a great boost for rugby league in the northern hemisphere to secure the World Cup in 2013.
"I thought that the 2008 tournament was an outstanding success and our goal is to build on that success and to deliver a profitable tournament that further enhances the international prestige of rugby league."
New Zealand ended Australia's long stranglehold on the trophy with a surprise 34-20 victory in the final of the 2008 tournament.
bbc.co.uk