Australia Star Sam Kerr Injured, to Miss First Two Matches of Women’s World Cup

The 29-year-old forward sustained a calf injury on the eve of the tournament and will miss games against Ireland and Nigeria.

Australia’s road to the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup just got a lot rockier with news of an injury to superstar Sam Kerr.

Kerr, considered one of the best players in the world, has been ruled out for at least the first two games of the tournament after suffering a calf injury on the eve of Australia’s opening game against Ireland. The team announced that it will reevaluate the striker after its second match.

“Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training,” Kerr posted on Instagram. “I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve. Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now.”

Despite being Women’s World Cup co-hosts, the Matildas were drawn into one of the most difficult groups in the tournament. After missing matches against Ireland and Nigeria, the Chelsea star will now look to come back for the group stage finale, a showdown with Olympic gold medalists Canada in one of the most highly anticipated group matches this summer. 

Filling Kerr’s shoes in the opening games won’t be easy, especially considering the 29-year-old is Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer (men and women) with 63 goals in 121 appearances. 

The 29-year-old’s legacy also includes being the first women to feature on the global cover of the FIFA video game series along with two third-place finishes in Ballon d’Or Féminin voting for the world’s best player.