Sam Kerr’s Matildas return date pushed back as hopes of international break return extinguished

The Matildas will be back on home soil next month for a two-match series with South Korea, but Sam Kerr won’t be featuring.

Sam Kerr’s prolonged absence from the Matildas squad is set to continue, with the striker still yet to fully recover from the knee injury she sustained in January 2024.

Matildas fans had hoped Kerr would make her return in the green and gold in two weeks time for Australia’s two-game series against South Korea.

The 31-year-old striker seemed poised for a comeback when she was recently named in Chelsea’s squad for this month’s crucial Champions League quarter-final against Mary Fowler’s Manchester City.

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However, Kerr took no part in the first leg as City ran out 2-0 winners.

And Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor confirmed that Kerr would not feature in the second leg either, or in Chelsea’s two fixtures leading up to the international break.

“We will assess her on a week-by-week basis, and hopefully, after the international break, we will have a clearer understanding of her return,” Bompastor said.

Sam Kerr remains sidelined as she recovers from an ACL injury. (Photo by Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Kerr therefore would not be available for the Matildas as she hasn’t been declared fit by her club side, meaning she likely won’t be seen in Australian colours for several more months.

And it is another blow for the Matildas, who are struggling to gel under interim coach Tom Sermanni.

Recently the Matildas have suffered losses to Brazil, Japan, the United States, and Colombia before managing two wins against the lowly Chinese Taipei.

While for Kerr, she had hoped to make her return against South Korea on April 4 and put her high-profile court case firmly in the rearview mirror.

But with Kerr unavailable once again, she realistically may only play one or two games for her country before the Asian Cup in 2026.

Less than a year out from the Asian Cup, Football Australia still is yet to find a full-time coach and also has yet to lock in additional friendly matches for after the South Korea series.

Sam Kerr has not played a competitive match since January 2024. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

While for Kerr’s club team Chelsea, her absence has done little to derail their chances of yet another Women’s Super League title.

With only four league matches remaining, Chelsea are eight points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United and hardly need to rush Kerr back.

And while they ideally would love her in the side for their crucial Champions League second leg, Bompastor previously explained it was difficult to put a timeline on her return and declared she will not be named until she is 100 per cent fit and healthy.

 ”She is making excellent progress in her rehabilitation, but I want her to maintain a focus on working hard and becoming the best version of herself,” the coach previously said.

“If she receives positive news and can return her experience and skills to the team, it would undoubtedly be a boost.

“However, I want to emphasise that expecting someone who has been out for 15 months to be the team’s hero is unfair.”

Originally published as Sam Kerr’s Matildas return date pushed back as hopes of international break return extinguished