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Matildas captain Sam Kerr and teammate Hayley Raso both feature on the list of nominees for football's highest individual honour, the Ballon d'Or.
- Sam Kerr has finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting in each of the last two years
- Hayley Raso earns her first nomination following her outstanding form in the Women's World Cup
- Spain's Aitana Bonmatí is considered the favourite to take out the award
Kerr and Raso are among the 30-strong list to lift the Ballon d'Or Féminin, with the winner to be announced in Paris on October 30.
The nominations come after the pair helped the Matildas reach the Women's World Cup semifinals in Australia and New Zealand last month.
Kerr captained the Matildas to their historic fourth-place finish following an injury-hit campaign.
She also won the English Cup and League double with her club Chelsea last season.
Newly-signed Real Madrid winger Raso earns her first nomination following a superb World Cup campaign.
Kerr has finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting in each of the last two years.
She has a chance of once again finishing on the podium as one of the world's top three players after another dazzling season, which was capped by her thunderous semifinal goal against England.
But the main award looks certain to go to one of the victorious Spanish World Cup team, with the favourite being Aitana Bonmatí, who last week was named the UEFA women's player of the year.
She is one of six nominees from Spain but her compatriot, two-time winner and holder Alexia Putellas, is not on the list after missing much of last year with a serious knee injury.
Kerr's Chelsea teammate Millie Bright has also been nominated.
The men's Ballon d'Or (meaning Golden Ball) is likely to go to seven-time winner Lionel Messi, currently wowing a new audience in the US Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
His masterful work in leading Argentina to the men's World Cup title in December seems sure to earn him the nod ahead of players like Erling Haaland, who's one of seven Manchester City players on the men's list, and Kylian Mbappé.
AAP
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