Janine Beckie to miss 2023 NWSL season and World Cup with torn ACL

Janine Beckie will miss the 2023 NWSL season and World Cup after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee.

The Portland Thorns and Canadian women’s national team forward picked up the injury during a Thorns preseason game Wednesday night against the US women’s national under 23 team, but confirmed the news on her social media channels on Friday.

“Heartbroken is an understatement. Having worked so hard during off-season for what was set to be one of the biggest seasons of my career, defending the title for [Portland Thorns] and of course playing in the World Cup for Canada, being out for an extended period of time is a difficult pill to swallow,” she wrote on Instagram. 

Her injury stands as a huge blow for both the Portland Thorns and Canadian women’s national team, as she was expected to play an integral part in the NWSL campaign and World Cup. Beckie formed part of the Thorns squad that lifted the 2022 NWSL title, and propelled Canada to win its first Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer in 2021. 

But now, Beckie joins a long list of players sidelined with ACL tears, including the USWNT’s Tierna Davidson, Catarina Macario and Christen Press; France’s Dzsenifer Marozsan and Marie-Antoinette Katoto; Spain’s Alexia Putellas; England’s Beth Mead; Australia’s Ellie Carpenter; Brazil’s Marta; and Denmark’s Nadia Nadim.

On or off the field, Beckie remains committed to inspiring her teams to success. 

“I’d like to thank the Thorns & Canadian medical teams, as well as everyone for their well wishes. I’ll be supporting my teammates for both club and country this season and it goes without saying I’ll be back better and stronger than ever!”

The 2023 NWSL season kicks off on March 25, while the Women's World Cup runs from July 20 to August 20 in New Zealand and Australia.