From Alex Morgan to Ada Hegerberg these are the stars to watch at the Women’s World Cup

MANCHESTER, England — The brightest talents in women’s soccer will be on show at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Alex Morgan is out to win a third straight World Cup with the United States and England’s Lucy Bronze is looking to become a world champion after helping the Lionesses’ win the European Championship last year.
Ada Hegerberg will carry Norway’s hopes and Alexia Putellas is back from the injury that kept her out of action for nearly 10 months and ruled her out of the Euros.

Here are 10 of the top players to watch out for at this year’s tournament.

ALEX MORGAN (UNITED STATES)
Heading into her fourth World Cup, Morgan is already a two-time winner, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the biggest stars in the history of the women’s game. The tournament in Australia and New Zealand will be a chance to add to the forward’s legacy if she helps the U.S. become the world champion for a record third time in succession. No men’s or women’s team has ever won the World Cup three times in a row. Now 34, Morgan keeps making a mark on the field. The four-time CONCACAF Player of the Year played her 200th game for her country last year and won the golden boot in the NWSL in 2022 after finishing as the top scorer with 15 goals for San Diego Wave. She has won 11 major tournaments with the U.S. and was also a Champions League winner with Lyon. Having won so many honors in her career, she is looking to add another World Cup in what could be her final appearance on this stage.

CHRISTINE SINCLAIR (CANADA)
No soccer player, male or female, has scored more international goals than Canadian legend Sinclair’s 190 for her country. Canada coach Bev Priestman has described Sinclair’s “incredible humility” — but there is nothing humble about an incredible career that just keeps on going. Ready to appear in her sixth World Cup at the age of 40, Sinclair remains as determined as ever to achieve more. She resisted the temptation to hang her boots up after Canada won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. It was her fourth Olympics representing her country. Sinclair has reimagined her game as her career has advanced, moving from a center forward to a more withdrawn role as she continues to produce at the top level. A three-time NWSL Champion with the Portland Thorns — most recently in 2022 — she is a 14-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year and has won 319 caps. A World Cup winner’s medal is missing from her collection, but that could all change at this year’s tournament.

SAM KERR (AUSTRALIA)
The first Australian to score a hat trick in the men’s or women’s World Cup, Kerr could be in the reckoning to win the golden boot at this year’s tournament. She scored five in 2019 and was the leading scorer at the Asia Cup in 2022 with seven goals. The forward is Australia’s all-time leading scorer — surpassing Tim Cahill with 63 goals in total. Kerr is used to racking up the titles with her club team Chelsea. She has won the English league title four years in a row, as well as three FA Cups and two League Cups. Kerr has been named Women’s Footballer of the Year in England for the past two seasons. Captaining Australia to World Cup glory in front of her home fans would be the ultimate achievement. She is certainly one for the big occasion — most recently scoring the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester United in front a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. She has scored 10 goals in seven domestic cup finals.

WENDIE RENARD (FRANCE)
As part of Lyon’s all-conquering team, Renard has won 16 French league titles and eight Champions Leagues. Add to that 10 more French Cups and Renard is arguably France’s greatest women’s footballer. But it looked like she would be absent from this World Cup after announcing in February that she was stepping back from the national team, saying she could “no longer support the current system.” France coach Corinne Diacre was fired in March and Renard was recalled by new coach Herve Renard, meaning she will be back in the heart of the defense as her country tries to win the biggest prize in women’s soccer.

ADA HEGERBERG (NORWAY)
It is a measure of Hegerberg’s rare talent that she has been described as women’s soccer’s answer to Lionel Messi. But given that she is from Norway, perhaps Erling Haaland is a more suitable comparison for the forward. After all, she is a lethal goal-scorer, just like the Manchester City striker. Her total of 59 Champions League goals is a record for the competition. And she has averaged more than a goal per game for her club Lyon, winning eight French league titles and six Champions Leagues. Hegerberg was the first ever female winner of the Ballon d’Or and will perform at the World Cup after ruling herself out of selection for her country for five years up to 2022 due to what she considered a disregard for women’s soccer in Norway.

MARTA (BRAZIL)
Concerns hang over the six-time FIFA player of the year as she approaches her sixth World Cup. “I don’t know whether she will be in the starting lineup. She could come off the bench as well,” said Brazil coach Pia Sundhage. Marta, 37, is still working her way back to her best after a knee injury. She had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament last year, leading to an 11-month absence from the national team. Having never won the World Cup, this could be her final chance for the Orlando Pride forward to lift the trophy. Brazil fans are likely to be anxious about Marta’s fitness. As her country’s all-time leading scorer with 117 goals, she could be vital to Brazil’s hopes.