Arsenal and Chelsea stars, plus Ballon d'Or winner could all miss FIFA Women's World Cup

Sadly, the Lionesses' captain is the latest in a long line of players set to miss out on the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

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Among the other players set to miss out are the Women's Super League's all-time top scorer, a midfielder voted the best female footballer in the world, and four of the 11 players who appeared in the 2022 FIFA Women's World XI.

But who are the players who remain question marks less than 100 days before the tournament and how far could it affect who finally lifts the trophy on the August 20?

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talkSPORT.com takes a look.

Leah Williamson - England

Having ruptured her ACL just three months before the start of the World Cup, Williamson's injury rules her out of the tournament completely.

The 26-year-old will be unable to replicate her success with the Lionesses at the European Championships last summer leaving boss Sarina Wiegman with a defensive headache.

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Beth Mead - England

Williamson's Arsenal teammate Beth Mead suffered an ACL injury earlier this season, although the striker has not yet been completely ruled out of the tournament, having since returned to training with her club.

But the chances of the England forward returning to fitness and retaking her place in Sarina Wiegman's side remain low.

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The Lionesses' manager has been exploring other attacking options in recent camps with Chelsea's Lauren James a potential replacement.

Millie Bright - England

Chelsea's Millie Bright is also recovering from a knee injury she suffered in March with no news on when the defender could return.

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Bright's absence would mean the Lionesses flying to Australia without both of their starting centre-backs, as well as without their captain and vice-captain.

Fran Kirby - England

To add to Wiegman's worries, Fran Kirby, who started every game for the Lionesses at the European Championships, has been out of action for Chelsea since February.

It's now been announced she will have surgery and faces a 'significant period' out of the game and will miss the tournament.

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It means the Lionesses could well head Down Under with as many as four of their starting line-up no longer in the squad.

Alexia Putellas and 15 Spain internationals

It is the Spanish national team who are set to be without the most players - and not through injury.

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Barcelona's Alexia Putellas is widely believed to be the best female footballer in the world, with the midfielder wining every major club and individual accolade available to a European player in her career so far.

She topped the 2022 list of 'The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World' for the second year running despite being out with an ACL injury since July last year, as well as winning the Ballon d'Or Féminin, and The Best FIFA Women's Player.

Putellas has recently returned to training with Barcelona following her ACL injury recovery - but her World Cup is still in doubt.

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After a dispute which began last September, 15 members of Spain's women's squad announced their refusal to play for the national team unless head coach Jorge Vilda was sacked.

The 15 players, none of whom have since returned to international duty, stated Vilda's leadership had a detrimental effect upon their emotional and mental health.

The Spanish Football Federation insisted they would not comply with any demands and would instead ban the 15 players from representing their country if they did not apologise.

Manchester City's Leila Ouhabi and Laia Alexandri, Manchester United's Ona Batlle and Lucia Garcia, and Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati and Mapi Leon are among the players refusing to play under Vilda.

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Putellas, whilst not one of the 15 players, voiced her support for their refusal to play under Vilda and it is unclear whether Putellas would return to the Spanish national team even if fit and called up.

Christen Press - USA

The US Women's National Team (USWNT), the reigning World Cup champions, have suffered a spate of injuries which could impact their chances of retaining their title.

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Forward Christen Press, who scored in the 2019 semi-final match which knocked the Lionesses out of the World Cup, suffered an ACL injury last June and is yet to return to fitness.

Striker Mallory Swanson then became the latest attacking loss to the USWNT after she tore her patella tendon in a match against the Republic of Ireland earlier this month.

Swanson has been prolific for the USWNT, already netting seven goals for her country this year before picking up the injury which may keep her out of this summer's tournament.

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Tobin Heath - USA

Ex-Arsenal forward Tobin Heath is likely to miss out on competing in her fourth World Cup due to a long-term knee injury.

With two World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals to her name, Heath's experience could prove a huge loss to the US this summer.

Midfielders Sam Mewis and Catarina Macario are also doubts for this summer's tournament meaning that the reigning champions could be without a number of players in July.

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Vivianne Miedema - Netherlands

The Arsenal striker ruptured her ACL during their Champions League matchup against Lyon at the Emirates in December and has since ruled herself out of the World Cup.

Miedema is widely considered one of the best strikers in the world and, at 64 goals, holds the record for the most goals scored in the WSL.

She is also the all-time top scorer for the Netherlands and was a key part of their victory at the European Championships in 2017.

The Netherlands women's team finished runners-up in the 2019 World Cup but they will have to renew their title challenge without their key striker this summer.

Kadeisha Buchanan - Canada

Defender Kadeisha Buchanan is in a race to recover before the start of the tournament this summer after becoming the second Chelsea centre-back to be injured this season.

Ex-Manchester City striker Janine Beckie, Kansas City's Desiree Scott and Reading's Deanne Rose are all out with injury too, leaving Canada a much-depleted team.

But earlier this year, it seemed briefly that Canada could be without a team entirely for the World Cup.

The 2021 Olympic gold medallists announced a strike in February, taking a stand against financial cuts to their team and stating they would not accept a lower level of support than the Canadian men's team.

The strike was short-lived after the team said Canada Soccer had threatened them with legal action and demands for millions of dollars in damages if they did not return to football.

In March, an interim funding deal was agreed between Canada Soccer and the women's national team which reflects the funding terms agreed with the men's national team.

The Canadian women have since played against France in an international friendly, suggesting they will play in the World Cup this summer - although the final collective bargaining agreement has not yet been signed.

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