Sam Kerr eyeing 2027 Women’s World Cup as Australia look to go out on a high

Brisbane – Australia captain Sam Kerr said on Friday the Women’s World Cup had been the best weeks of her career and she planned to stick around for the next one in 2027.

She will lead her side out for one last game on Saturday when they face Sweden in the third-place play-off in Brisbane, with a bronze medal at stake.

Kerr said Australia were already winners regardless of the result after going further than expected and taking a home nation with them, with bumper crowds and record-breaking TV audiences.

“It has been the most amazing four weeks of our careers. Not only what has happened on the pitch, but also what has happened off it has been amazing,” she said.

“When we first started at this World Cup, we never could have dreamt this would happen – the way the country has got behind us, the way we have been playing.

“But we have one more game where we can really end on a high. There’s that extra motivation to... really leave a legacy. Coming third place at a World Cup is something you can only dream of as a kid.”

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the Chelsea forward, who picked up a calf injury before their opening game and missed the first four matches. But she played a full game in their 3-1 semi-final loss to England, scoring a sensational goal, and said the experience had left her wanting more, with a fifth World Cup in her sights.

“I’m only 29. Most of us will still be here if we have the opportunity to be. We have to play at our club, play well, stay injury free. There might be a few more babies, who knows, four years is a long time. But I hope the core group are together,” the talismanic striker said.

“At the moment, I haven’t heard any talk of anyone retiring. As long as there are 23 spots, everyone here will be fighting for them in four years’ time.”

Coach Tony Gustavsson said he was similarly determined to end the tournament with a win by beating his home country. He is without defender Alanna Kennedy, who is recovering from concussion, but ruled out using the game to give minutes to squad players who had not featured so far.

“I can’t pick based on emotions. This is a third-place game and we are playing for a medal. This is a game to win,” he said, adding that Sweden and Australia shared similar traits like being well organised defensively.

Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson has no major fitness issues, with the game set to be the last at a World Cup for 38-year-old skipper Caroline Seger. He said his “incredibly focused” side were drawing inspiration from their third-place finish at the 2019 tournament.

“They want to experience that joy again. There is no lack of motivation,” he added. AFP