They’re about to play in the World Cup semi-final against the Lionesses today – but thankfully for them, the Australian Matildas have very supportive plus-ones who will be cheering on the squad.
A pack of proud partners are expected to turn out at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia as the team takes on England at 11am UK time.
The winner of today’s contest will take on Spain for the trophy this Sunday, after they beat Sweden 2-1 yesterday to book their trip to the final.
Supportive partners that fans might expect to see in the stands include goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s girlfriend and West Ham United teammate Kirsty Smith, who plays for the Scotland national team.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the glamorous and encouraging WAGs of the Matildas.
Kirsty Yallop
PARTNER: Tameka Yallop (midfielder)
Australian Matildas Tameka Yallop with New Zealand international Kirsty Yallop – who she married in 2017
Australian Matildas Tameka Yallop has previously opened up about feeling forced to repress her sexuality in the early parts of her career.
Thankfully, the Aussie was able to be comfortable in her own skin after meeting New Zealand international Kirsty Yallop – who she then married in 2017. Their daughter Harley was born in August 2020.
‘I felt for a long time it (sexuality) had to be suppressed and not really made common knowledge,’ Yallop told News Corp earlier this year.
‘It probably wasn’t until I met Kirsty that I was able to talk about it and felt we had each other and we would support each other in whatever was said or maybe looked down upon, or if we did come into any hurdles.’
Danielle van de Donk
PARTNER: Ellie Carpenter (defender)
Ellie Carpenter (right) and partner Danielle van de Donk can often be seen taking in the sights of Europe when they’re not on the field
The self-confessed foodie has just bought a house in Lyon with partner and teammate Danielle van de Donk (who will play for Netherlands at this World Cup)
Hailing from the tiny farming town of Cowra in central-west NSW, Ellie Carpenter is now a certified globetrotter, having played in the US and France, where she is a lynchpin in football’s most successful women’s club side, Olymipique Lyonnais.
She’s a two-time Champions League winner, PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year and won the French league three times, all while retaining her wicked sense of humour, a twinkle in her eye and a relentlessly sunny attitude – albeit with a little more Versace.
The self-confessed foodie has just bought a house in Lyon with partner and teammate Danielle van de Donk (who will play for Netherlands at this World Cup).
She can often be seen on her Instagram feed taking in the many gourmet eateries in the famous town, or at exotic European locations if she isn’t on the pitch.
Kristie Mewis
PARTNER: Sam Kerr (forward)
Matildas skipper Sam Kerr is in a relationship with US star Kristie Mewis (pictured together)
The sporting couple (pictured together) went public with their romance in 2021
Sam Kerr is in a relationship with American football star Kristie Mewis, who is a midfielder on the US squad.
The sporting couple went public with their romance in 2021, according to Marie Claire Australia.
While they haven’t squared off against each other on the World Cup pitch this year – due to the US team being knocked out by Sweden – they’ve previously faced one another.
It was after the 2021 FIFA World Cup, for instance, that rumours began to arise about a relationship between the pair, after Mewis comforted Kerr post-match when the US defeated Australia.
Erin Clout
PARTNER: Alex Chidiac (midfielder)
Footballer Alex Chidiac at a wedding with long-term partner of four years, Erin Clout
Chidiac has been in a relationship with Erin Clout, a player relations manager for Professional Footballers Australia, since 2019
Alex Chidiac, 24, currently splits her time between Australia, where she plays for Melbourne Victory, and the USA, where she stars for Racing Louisville.
She has been in a relationship with Erin Clout, a player relations manager for Professional Footballers Australia, since 2019, according to PinkNews.
The stunning couple often take to Instagram to share loved-up photographs of themselves together.
It has been a rollercoaster four years for Alex since she was controversially left out of Australia’s squad for the 2019 World Cup, with previous management not agreeing with Chidiac’s decision to play in Spain with Atletico Madrid.
Temica Sayer
PARTNER: Emily Gielnik (forward)
Australian footballer Emily Gielnik, 31, who is a reserve on the team today, plays as a forward for Aston Villa. She has been with her fiancée Temica Sayer for eight years (pictured together)
Gielnik (right) proposed to Sayer last year prior to a Matildas camp, and she was a bundle of nerves before the heartwarming moment
Gielnik (pictured with her partner) recently revealed that there were many ‘dark times’ in her personal life, because, given her family upbringing, she didn’t feel comfortable coming out
Australian footballer Emily Gielnik, 31, who is a reserve on the team today, plays as a forward for Aston Villa.
She has been with her fiancée Temica Sayer for eight years. But heartbreakingly, for much of that time she didn’t feel comfortable telling the world about it.
Gielnik recently revealed that there were many ‘dark times’ in her personal life, because, given her family upbringing, she didn’t feel comfortable coming out.
‘My mum being Croatian… being gay was frowned upon, so I never saw how I was going to come out and tell my family,’ she said on the Disney+ documentary, Matildas: The World At Our Feet.
‘So I tried everything to live this lie for years. There was a lot of dark times.’
‘To be honest, if I didn’t have football, I don’t really know what other outlet I would have had,’ she said. ‘Football was the saving grace. The Matildas is a support system around everyone being equal and open, and I finally realised you love who you love.’
And she is head over heels in love with Sayer – with the documentary capturing the heartwarming moment that changed her life forever.
When the Matildas were set to go into camp ahead of two friendlies against Canada during August and September last year, Gielnik flew in from the UK one day early so she could propose to Sayer.
Kat Thompson
PARTNER: Emily van Egmond (midfielder)
Emily van Egmond recently got engaged to partner Kat Thompson in a romantic proposal by the ocean in California
Veteran midfielder Emily Van Egmond will be appearing in her fourth World Cup for Australia
Currently in the USA playing her trade for San Diego in the NWSL when not starting for the Australian squad, Emily Van Egmond recently got engaged to partner Kat Thompson.
The footballer popped the question to her digital creator girlfriend during a romantic proposal by the ocean in California.
Constantly looking loved-up in photographs shared online, the couple told New Idea they were ‘aiming for the summer’ for their wedding date.
Kirsty Smith
PARTNER: Mackenzie Arnold (goalkeeper)
Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold is currently in a relationship with Scottish footballer Kirsty Smith
Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold is currently in a relationship with Scottish footballer Kirsty Smith.
The pair – who have been dating since 2022 – are teammates as they both play for West Ham.
They’ll be no split loyalties for Kirsty during today’s semi-final match, since she plays for the Scottish national team.
