A total of 14 members of City’s squad have been included in their nation’s confirmed or provisional squads for the tournament which is being held in Australia and New Zealand.
Excitement for the grand event is building with the competition kicking off on Thursday 20 July.
Next up, one half of our Australian contingent.
CITY CAREER SO FAR
Competitive debut: 4 September 2021
Appearances: 29
Honours:
Continental Cup 2021/22
International:
Tournament of Nations 2017
FFA Cup of Nations 2019
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP PERFORMANCES
The 2023 World Cup is set to become the defender’s third taste of the tournament having featured in at the past two competitions, respectively.
In the 2015 showpiece hosted in Canada, Kennedy was the second youngest player within the squad and featured in every Matildas match en route to the quarter-finals.
Following a substitute appearance in their opening 3-1 defeat to USA, the classy centre-back would then go on to start all of Australia’s remaining games in the competition.
SHOP ALANNA KENNEDY’S RANGE HERE
This began in their 2-0 win over Nigeria and continued across the Matildas’ final group game - a 1-1 draw with Sweden - and a 1-0 Round-of-16 win over Brazil.
Unfortunately, their campaign came to an end following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Japan in the last-eight.
By the time the 2019 competition arrived four years later, Kennedy had cemented herself as a vital member of the Australia squad that travelled to France.
This was reflected as she started every match for her nation as they reached the last-16.
After Milena Bertolini’s then side opened their tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Italy, they recorded strong wins over Brazil (3-2) and Jamaica (4-1) to finish second in Group C.
In a fiercely-contested clash with Norway, the score finished 1-1 after full-time – forcing 30 extra minutes to separate the sides.
But four minutes into the additional period, Kennedy was dismissed for pulling on Lisa-Marie Karlseng Utland’s shirt before the European side advanced on penalties.
PLAYER PROFILE
After impressing immensely for Spurs in the Barclays Women’s Super League from 2020 to 2021, City swooped for her signature at the expiry of her contract in August 2021.
A versatile figure who can operate at the heart of defence or in the engine room, her superb passing capabilities made her a perfect asset for the style of play Gareth Taylor has implemented at the Academy Stadium.
It also didn’t take long for the Australian to win her maiden piece of silverware at the Club – helping us to the 2022 Continental Cup shortly after her arrival.
In total, the defender has made 29 appearances in sky blue (scoring once) and has battled through the occasional injury issue to become a stronger and better player.
As a reward for her sparkling talent, she signed a new two-year contract with City in May, keeping her at the Club until 2025.
FIXTURES
Australia v Republic of Ireland | Thursday 20 July |11:00 (UK) kick-off | Stadium Australia, Sydney
Australia v Nigeria | Thursday 27 July | 11:00 (UK) kick-off | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Canada v Australia | Monday 31 July | 11:00 (UK) kick-off | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
