Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, who has chosen not to play for Norway since 2017, has been left out of their squad for the Women’s World Cup in France.
The Olympique Lyonnais striker has not featured for Norway since they were knocked out of the Women’s European Championship in 2017 without scoring a goal.
The 23-year-old Hegerberg, who became the inaugural winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or award last December, has taken a stand against her home federation because of frustrations with the state of women’s game in Norway.
Coach Martin Sjogren said in February that it was unlikely Hegerberg would feature in the tournament, which runs from June 7 to July 7.
“We tried to solve it, we had meetings, but she decided not to play,” Sjogren told BBC World Service.
“As a coach, you need to focus on the players who want to be a part of the team and Ada doesn’t.”
Hegerberg’s sister, Paris St Germain midfielder Andrine, is also absent from the 23-man squad.
Chelsea’s Maria Thorisdottir and Maren Mjelde are included in the squad, as is forward Caroline Graham Hansen, who has scored 14 goals for VfL Wolfsburg in all competitions this season.
Norway kick off their World Cup campaign in Group A against Nigeria in Reims on June 8.
