Australia captain Sam Kerr has been ruled out of her country’s first two matches with a calf injury.
The forward sustained the injury on the eve of the tournament and will miss today’s opener against the Republic of Ireland.
The 29-year-old is her country’s leading all-time goalscorer, having netted 63 goals in 120 matches.
The tournament, which is being jointly-held in Kerr’s Australia, was the chance for the striker to lead her country out on home soil.
But Kerr has confirmed she will miss the Matildas’ first match, as well as their second group stage fixture against Nigeria.
‘Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training,’ wrote Kerr 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 apart of this amazing journey which starts now. Sam.’
Fellow hosts New Zealand kicked off the tournament this morning with a 1-0 win against Norway.
A 43,000-strong crowd watched Jacqui Hand give the co-hosts the lead shortly after the inverval following a brilliant team move.
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