Mackenzie Arnold

Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold became a household name for her performance during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, earning the monikers “Australia’s Defence Minister” and “The Brick Wall”.

The Matildas’ run to the semi-finals of the World Cup captured the imagination of Australians and Mackenzie was one of the genuine stars of the show.

The keeper was named player of the match when she held her nerve to make three saves in a gruelling penalty shootout quarter-final win against France – including one she had to make twice after the video referee ruled she had stepped off her line.

“This feeling is something I’ve never felt before,” she said after the game. “I’m just so proud of the girls. But I feel like I don’t know what to say – I’m overwhelmed.”

Gold Coast born and bred, Mackenzie grew up heavily involved in football. Her first years as a junior were played with Burleigh Heads followed by Robina City, close to where she attended school at Palm Beach-Currumbin High.

Her brave approach to the game paired with great footwork and high efficiency goal-stopping makes Mackenzie a huge threat in the goalkeeper position. These attributes got her recognised at a young age and her career has flourished since.

Domestically in Australia’s W-League she has played for Canberra United, Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar. Within the W-League she was  named Goalkeeper of the Year three times.

Mackenzie's career has also seen her play for the Chicago Red Stars over in the US. She’s since become part of West Ham United, playing in the Women’s Super League in Europe.

Her 2020-21 season with West Ham included 16 matches, with 4.06 saves per 90 minutes (2nd in the WSL) and 100% in penalty saves (1st in the WSL). In the 2022-23 season, Mackenzie was in superb form, playing 27 of West Ham's 29 games and being awarded the Players' Player of the Season by her teammates. She was also promoted to captain.

Mackenzie's Matildas debut came in 2012 when she was only 18-years-old. On debut she kept a clean sheet when Australia played Chinese Taipei in an East Asian Cup prelim game, winning 7-0.

She now has almost 50 caps under her belt with the Matildas, and has competed at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the 2018 AFC Asian Cup in Jordan, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, as well as the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

At Tokyo 2020 Mackenzie and the Matildas made all of Australia proud in putting together a historic achievement.

Their fourth-place finish, which was nearly a podium finish after a 4-3 loss to the USA in the bronze medal game, is the highest ever finish by the Matildas at an Olympic Games.

At the 2023 World Cup, Mackenzie earned the most clean sheets of any keeper, recording four shutouts as she helped Australia to a fourth-place finish, the team's best-ever result at a World Cup.

She was later placed third in the 2023 Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper, behind England's Mary Earps and Spain's Cata Coll.

Mackenzie cemented her status as a cult hero when she kept two more clean sheets as the Matildas qualified for the Paris Olympics with home and away wins over Uzbekistan in February 2024 – 3-0 and 10-0.

The day before the second match, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, replicas of Mackenzie iconic purple goalkeeping jersey went on sale on the Football Australia website and sold out in 15 minutes.

"The support we as goalkeepers have felt from our fans over the last year has been absolutely incredible," Mackenzie said.

"It means so much to me that we'll head into another huge year for our team, and our sport, knowing that our families, friends and fans will be backing us all the way, and wearing our jerseys with pride.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Mackenzie and the Matildas faced Germany, Zambia and the USA in a tough Group B.

A tournament-opening 3-0 loss to Germany was followed by a dramatic 11-goal thriller against Zambia, where the Matildas came back from 5-2 down to win 6-5. Facing a must-win scenario against the USA to stay alive, the Matildas' tournament ended on another 3-0 loss.