Australian striker Sam Kerr will not return in time from a ruptured ACL for the Paris Olympics.
Australia’s soccer federation announced that the 30-year-old remains sidelined by the injury, which she sustained nearly five months ago, and “will not be available for selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Chelsea’s Kerr led Australia to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, scoring six goals.
Australia also was fourth at last summer’s World Cup, which it co-hosted with New Zealand. Kerr didn’t play in the group stage due to a calf injury. She returned for the knockout rounds.
In 2021, Kerr was runner-up to Spain’s Alexia Putellas for FIFA Player of the Year.
Australia is grouped with the U.S., Germany and Zambia in the Olympic tournament.
The top two teams from that group advance to the quarterfinals. The two highest-placed third-place teams out of the three groups also advance.
