Seattle Storm star and Australia national team captain Ezi Magbegor has suffered a torn ACL, the Storm announced on Thursday afternoon. Magbegor went down in the first quarter of Wednesday’s World Cup game against Italy. She will now miss the remainder of the tournament and ensuing WNBA season.

Magbegor averaged 15.6 points throughout Australia’s first three World Cup games, shooting 60.5% from the field and 42.9% from three. She’s also served as Australia’s interior defender, particularly with co-star Alanna Smith also out for the remainder of the tournament due to a leg injury.

In the WNBA, Magbegor has had an injury-riddled season; due to a foot injury and a facial fracture, she appeared in just 14 games, averaging 6.9 points and 4 rebounds per night, numbers below her career averages.

Now, she’ll miss the remainder of the WNBA season and likely much of the 2027 campaign, too. Seattle was already out of the playoff race amid a rebuilding season, but Magbegor’s absence looms large in the future. The 27-year-old played alongside rising stars Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga this year, but most likely won’t be available for the majority of next season.

Magbegor is a four-time All-Defensive team selection who has been with the Storm since 2019, when she was drafted 12th overall. She was a member of the 2020 Storm championship team.

Australia suffers another major injury blow

For Australia, Magbegor’s absence is yet another massive blow. Earlier in the week, the team announced that Alanna Smith would miss the rest of the tournament due to a leg injury.

Australia will face Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 2:45 — but they’ll be without two of their best players. All eyes will be on Steph Talbot, Isobel Borlase, Zitina Aokuso, and the team’s other top performers. If they advance, they’ll face the United States in Saturday’s semi-finals.