Getty Images delete World Cup's 'sexiest fans' gallery after backlash

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Getty Images deleted a hottest 2018 World Cup fans gallery on social media on Tuesday following backlash from fans and feminist organizations.

Getty replaced the photos with this message on their website: 'Earlier, we published a piece, "World Cup 2018: The Sexiest Fans", that did not meet our editorial standards.

'We regret the error and have removed the piece. There are many interesting stories to tell about the World Cup and we acknowledge this was not one of them.' 

Getty Images has come under fire for sharing a gallery of  the 'hottest' 2018 World Cup fans

According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the company confirmed Getty had not reached out to the women photographed for permission to share their pictures in such a manner. They told the outlet an internal investigation would be conducted. 

'Getty Images holds a deep belief in the power of visuals to incite change and shift attitudes and we have done, and will continue to do, much work to promote and create a more evolved and positive depiction of women,' the spokesperson added. 

The collection of images, initially posted with the sub-heading, 'Talk about a knock-out round...', featured photos of female football fans exclusively. The exclusion of male fans prompted many to decry the post as sexist.

'The 1970s called and they want their misogyny back,' one user responded to the since-deleted tweet. 

This Fan Girl, a feminist organization aimed at changing the way the world looks at women who love football, told The Guardian: 'This list from Getty that has come out today is so disappointing. 

'They need to do better; because of their size and influence, they have a huge responsibility to not perpetuate the toxic male primacy that exists in football.'  

Since the mistake, Getty has shared several other tweets related to the 2018 World Cup. They haven't, and likely won't, weigh in on the appearance of fans again.

Here's what else is going on in World Cup news. 

Australia vs Peru World Cup 2018

Australia was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup after a two-nothing loss to Peru. The game began at 10am ET (3pm BST) at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Soci, Russia. 

Denmark vs France

Denmark and France both advanced into the next round of the world cup following a third match that ended in a scoreless stalemate. 

Nigeria World Cup

Longtime rivals Nigeria and Argentina faced off at 2pm ET (7pm BST)on Tuesday. Nigera was favored to win, but it wasn't an easy match. 

The South American country scored the first goal, taking a zero to one lead. Nigeria was able to catch up for a time, but eventually fell behind one to two.

Eliminated World Cup teams

Group A

• Egypt
• Saudi Arabia

Group B

• Iran
• Morocco

Group C

• Australia
• Peru

Group D

• Iceland
• Nigeria

Group E

• Costa Rica

Group G

• Panama
• Tunisia

Group H

• Poland 

How to watch the 2018 World Cup

ITV and the BBC are airing World Cup matches in the United Kingdom with streaming available on the ITV hub. 

In the United States, Fox Sports, Fox Sports 1, Telemundo and NBC Universo are showing all matches. Streaming is available on the Fox Sports app as well. 

YouTube Live, Fubo and Hulu Live offer other streaming options for football fanatics without access to cable TV. 

Australians can stream the 2018 World cup from Optus Sports apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast.