The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, two of the favorites to reach the knockout stage. However, New Zealand will be without Katie Rood, who is a key part of their attacking formation.

New Zealand’s senior squad has a number of talented forwards who could step in and replace Katie Rood. However, Rood was a key part of their strategy, and her absence will be a big loss.

Rood is not the only top player who will miss the tournament. Other national teams have also lost players to injury, such as Switzerland’s Iman Beney, who tore her ACL during a training session.

Why is Katie Rood not playing for New Zealand in the 2023 Women’s World Cup?

Katie Rood will not play in the 2023 Women’s World Cup because she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in April 2023. This is not the first time Rood has suffered an ACL injury, as she also tore her ACL in 2018.

Rood posted about her injury on Instagram, saying: “I’m sad to say that I’ve joined the ever-growing ACL club. It happened just over a week ago against Celtic, coincidentally at the same time as Leah Williamson did hers. I took a lot of consolation from Leah’s Instagram post about it. What she said definitely resonated with me and helped shift my perspective on it a lot.”

Despite Rood’s absence, New Zealand still has a strong group of forwards. Most of them play in the domestic league, but Gabi Rennie plays in the NCAA for the Arizona State Sun Devils.