Australian soccer player Sam Kerr will be the first female athlete to grace an international FIFA cover after EA announced she will feature on FIFA 23’s Ultimate Edition, alongside France’s Kylian Mbappé.

The Chelsea forward will also be the sole star on the game’s standard edition in her home country of Australia, as well as New Zealand – that cover will also be available as an Amazon exclusive internationally. Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappé will feature on the standard edition in other territories.

“It’s an honour and a dream come true to be on the cover of FIFA 23,” said Kerr. “It’s been incredible to work with Kylian and the whole EA SPORTS team, and I can’t wait for fans to get their hands on a copy of the game.”

Mbappé, who will feature on the cover for the third year in a row, also paid homage to the historic moment, saying “I’m even more excited to share a cover honouring women’s football with a great player like Sam Kerr”.

The 28-year-old is captain of the Australian national team and the all-time leading scorer in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League. Kerr has also won seven Golden Boots and is the only female player to have claimed the award in three different leagues and three different continents.

FIFA 23 will be the final game in the franchise as EA and soccer’s governing body ended their partnership in May 2022. The series will be rebranded as EA Sports FC but shouldn’t change much gameplay wise, while FIFA is now seeking to create its own franchise.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.