With 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, set to start on July 20, teams are dealing with injuries to some of their key players.
Here are some of the major players who will miss the World Cup through injuries.
Becky Sauerbrunn (United States): Becky Sauerbrunn, the captain of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) has been ruled out of the Women’s World Cup with a foot injury. She announced the news through a heartfelt post on her social media accounts. The 38-year-old was a key part of the US Women’s World Cup rosters in 2015 and 2018.
Fran Kirby (England): Fran Kirby sustained an injury during the semifinal of the Continental League Cup against West Ham in May. Chelsea announced that she will be undergoing surgery and will be sidelined for a significant period, thus ruling her out of this summer’s World Cup.
Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands): Arsenal’s Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the Champions League defeat to Lyon in December. The Netherlands’ all-time leading scorer underwent surgery right after but the World Cup comes come too early on her road to recovery.
FILE PHOTO: Netherlands’ forward Vivianne Miedema celebrates after scoring the second goal during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women’s group F first-round football match between Netherlands and Brazil. | Photo Credit: Kohei CHIBAHARA/ AFP
Catarina Macario (United States): Another one in the ACL bracket is the US forward Catarina Macario. Though it has been almost a year since the injury, while playing for Lyon, the 23-year-old announced that she wouldn’t be ready in time for the World Cup
Beth Mead (England): The second Arsenal star in this list, ruptured her ACL in November and was joined by teammate Miedema on the treatment table in December. The 27-year-old was reported to be ahead of schedule in her recovery but was ruled out of the tournament.
FILE PHOTO - England’s Beth Mead applauds during the Women Euro 2022 semifinal match between England and Sweden at Bramall Lane Stadium in Sheffield. | Photo Credit: Jon Super/ AP
Giulia Gwinn (Germany): The Best Young Player at the 2019 Women’s World Cup suffered her second ACL injury whilst on national duty in October 2022. The young Bayern Munich Frauen player hasn’t recovered in time for the World Cup.
Katie Rood (New Zealand): Katie Rood announced via social media in May that she had ‘joined the ACL club’. Rood tore her ACL while playing for the Heart of Midlothian WFC in a game against Celtic and set to miss the tournament being conducted in home turf.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France): Katoto is another one on the long list of ACL injuries. The PSG star ruptured the ACL in her right knee during the 2022 Euros and has been sidelined ever since. The 24-year-old striker limped out of the group stage match against Belgium at the Euros and after a check-up with the French medical staff, was ruled out of the tournament.
Leah Williamson (England): England captain Leah Williamson was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ACL injury in the game against Manchester United in April. Two weeks prior to the game, she led England to the Finalissima trophy at Wembley after beating Brazil.
England’s captain Leah Williamson was crucial in the Lionesses’ winning their maiden Women’s Euros title last year. | Photo Credit: Lisi Niesner/ REUTERS
Sam Mewis (United States): The Kansas City midfielder Sam Mewis announced that she would miss the World Cup after undergoing a second surgery on her knee injury after the injury had disrupted most of her 2021 season. The initial surgery was done after the Tokyo Olympics.
RELATED: Norway ready to make an impact at World Cup, winger Reiten says
Lind Dallmann (Germany): Dallmann tore her left anterior syndesmosis ligament in the German Cup quarterfinal win over Hoffenheim while playing for Bayern Munich Frauen. The 28-year-old was a mainstay in the team during the European Championships last year but looks to miss the World Cup this year.
FILE PHOTO: France’s Delphine Cascarino in action against Wales during the UEFA qualifiers in 2021. | Photo Credit: STEPHANE MAHE/ REUTERS
Delphine Cascarino (France): Lyon forward Cascarino partially tore her ACL while playing in the French league against PSG. The winger has scored 14 goals for her national team in 56 appearances. She joins Katoto in missing out on the World Cup for France.
ALSO READ: New Zealand announces squad, 10 players to make debut
Mallory Swanson (United States): Unlike most others on the list, Swanson’s is not a ACL injury. She underwent surgery after tearing her patellar tendon in a match for USA against Ireland in April. These types of injuries take more than 12 months for recovery, thus putting her out of the keeper.
Janine Beckie (Canada): The 28-year-old striker tore her ACL during a league game in the NWSL and announced that she would miss the tournament through a social media post. She also called for collective effort in understanding the recurrence of ACL injuries in women after a study said they are six times more likely to rupture their ACL compared to men.
Christen Press (USA): USWNT and former Manchester United Women player Christen Press has been on a long road to recovery since suffering an ACL injury in 2022. There was an outside chance that she could make it the World Cup, but just days before the marquee event, she announced that she has to have a fourth surgery on her knee, ending any remaining World Cup participation hopes.
Comments
SHARE