Lima in Peru is set to host the first edition of the event, but the country has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic as it closes in on one million cases.

The competition was initially due to be held from August 23 to 30 this year before being rescheduled for March 27 to April 4 in 2021.

But the WBSC has now confirmed the event will be staged from August 28 to September 5.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Peru - which has a population of 32 million - has recorded 963,000 cases and 35,923 fatalities.

Only Belgium has registered more deaths per 100,000 inhabitants than Peru.

Sixteen teams are set to compete at the Villa María del Triunfo complex in Lima, the softball venue used for the 2019 Pan American Games.

This includes the top three under-18 teams in the world - the United States, Japan and Canada.

The Philippines and Colombia have been included as wildcards.

Due to the one-year postponement of the tournament, all players who would have been eligible to participate in this year's tournament will still be able to play next year.

The WBSC said it would continue to monitor the coronavirus situation along with the Peruvian Softball Federation, the Peruvian Sports Institute, relevant authorities and participating teams.

The event was previously known as the Junior Women's Softball World Championship.