Norway confirms Ballon d'Or winner Hegerberg will skip Women's World Cup

Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg has not been named in Norway's squad for the upcoming Women's World Cup in France.

Hegerberg's omission was expected following her retirement from international duty in 2017, which she attributed to a lack of respect for women's soccer players in Norway. It was expected that coach Martin Sjogren would not include the 23-year-old Lyon star in his 21-player squad for June's tournament.

"We tried to solve it, we had meetings, but she decided not to play," Sjogren told The Telegraph. "As a coach, you need to focus on the players who want to be a part of the team and Ada doesn't.

"We respect that and we have been working hard with the other players and they have been doing a great job."

Widely considered one of football's brightest stars, Hegerberg's decision to retire from international duty came only months before the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) and the country's players' association (NISO) penned a monumental equal-pay agreement.

Hegerberg's sister, Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Andrine, was also omitted from the World Cup roster.

Norway won the 1995 Women's World Cup and will head to France ranked 12th in the world ahead of group play against the host country, South Korea, and Nigeria.