West Ham United Women will have six players at this summer’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup! The tournament, which is being held across Australia and New Zealand is now just six days away from beginning.
Ahead of the action getting underway, we will spotlight every Hammer who will be in action throughout the competition, starting with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold!
Arnold has 34 caps for the Matildas and will be heading to her third World Cup with her country, having also featured at both the 2015 and 2019 tournaments in Canada and France respectively.
The 29-year-old heads into the tournament vying for the No.1 spot with Brighton’s Lydia Williams and FC Rosengård’s Teagan Micah – and started Australia’s final warm-up match, a 1-0 victory against France on Friday 14 July.
Having joined West Ham United in July 2020, Arnold is the Club’s longest serving player and has made 69 appearances since then.
During her time in east London, Arnold has fought off stiff competition for the No.1 jersey from the likes of Courtney Brosnan, Anna Leat and Sophie Hillyerd.
The shot-stopper has been an integral part of the side since her arrival, helping the team reach the semi-finals of both the Vitality Women’s FA Cup and the Continental Tyres League Cup in the last two seasons.
Indeed, Arnold featured 27 times during the 2022/23 campaign and was voted as Players’ Player of the Season by her teammates. She also made the most saves in the Barclays Women's Super League this season, saving a total of 70 shots throughout the 22-game campaign.
Your 2022/23 Players’ Player of the Season! ⚒
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) May 27, 2023
Another great year in Claret & Blue for @MaccaArnold1! 👏 pic.twitter.com/HtrBweEOaI
The Matildas have been drawn into Group B and open their World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday 20 July at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
They then face Nigeria at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday 27 July before finishing off the group stages against Canada in Melbourne on Monday 31 July.
Matches will be available to watch in the UK across the BBC and ITV.
For all the latest news on Hammers in action at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, stay up to date with whufc.com!
