Which star players will be missing the Women’s World Cup this summer?

Being told you have suffered an Anterior Cruciate ligament injury is one of the worst things for a sportsperson, but in the Women’s game, it is far too common meaning a lot of star players won’t take to the pitch this summer at the World Cup.

ACLs have been the topic of conversation over the last few weeks and months within the women’s football world due to the high volume that have been occurring in the Women’s Super League, with Arsenal being hit the hardest.

Arsenal’s walking wounded

The Arsenal trio of England captain Leah Williamson, Dutch star striker Vivianne Miedema and BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner Beth Mead all having been downed by an ACL injury in the last 12 months meaning they won’t take any part in Australia or New Zealand this summer.

Williamson and Mead have become heroes in England after their prominent roles during the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 victory on home soil, with the former becoming the first captain of the Three Lions to lift a trophy since Bobby Moore in 1966.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England captain Leah Williamson has suffered an ACL injury 😔

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Leah ❤@Lionesses | @leahcwilliamson pic.twitter.com/mBitZia5uq

— UEFA Women's EURO (@WEURO) April 21, 2023

Miedema is one of the best strikers in world football and is utterly deadly in front of goal, so her absence will be a big loss for the Netherlands and almost certainly puts them way down the pecking order in terms of who will be crowned champions this summer.

USA facing injury dilemmas

The only other country that comes close to the injuries that England are facing heading into the World Cup are the USA as they are set to be without Mallory Swanson, new Chelsea signing Catarina Maracio and long-term mainstay Sam Mewis, all set to be absent.

They aren’t just three squad players who could have made a difference for the USA, they’re stars who would have likely lit up the Women’s World Cup and made the USA extremely strong favourites to go the entire way.

🇺🇲 USA stars appear in the new Women's World Cup TV commercial 🇺🇲

What do y'all think of it? 🤔 #FIFAWWC #uswntpic.twitter.com/LXOqD43E6w

— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) June 9, 2023

Swanson is currently recovering from a torn patella tendon in her knee, Maracio is another member of the injured ACL club while Mewis hasn’t played for the national side since the Olympics in Tokyo, showing how much her fitness and injuries issues have plagued her.

While everybody always wants the best players to be on show at a World Cup, no doubt some of the countries will be pleased that the USA won’t be at full strength, because it may mean that they can challenge the dominant force.

France lacking in firepower

Dynamic winger Delphine Cascarino was a well-known absentee due to her knee injury that she sustained last season which saw he ruled out very quickly of this summer tournament, but yet another blow for Les Bleus is her fellow Lyon attacker, Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

The is one of the deadliest strikers on the planet in Women’s football, so her absence will certainly be felt incredibly hard and couldn’t even make the provisional French squad.

Canadian Olympic hero won’t be available

Janine Beckie is a very recognisable footballer in the world of Women’s football for he impressive ability in the final third and incredible versatility which was showcased during her time at Manchester City.

However, she won’t be featuring this summer having ruptured her ACL (there’s a recurring theme here) in a pre-season game last year and is still yet to bounce back from that, so Canada will have to cope without their tenacious forward this summer.

If you enjoy our Women’s football coverage then remember to stay tuned as I will be bringing you much more over the coming months, including exclusive pieces from out in Australia!