FIFA will now require every team participating in its women’s tournaments at all levels to have a female head coach or assistant coach. This new regulation is part of soccer’s governing body intention to increase the number of female coaches at the top levels of the sport
Beginning with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in September, the rule will be in full force at the Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027, as well as at the second Women’s Champions Cup, and at the first Women’s Club World Cup.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” said FIFA’s Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis. “We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines.
“The new FIFA regulations, combined with targeted development programs, mark an important investment in both the current and future generation of female coaches.”
There is a dearth of female coaches in women’s soccer
At the 2023 World Cup, only 12 of 32 head coaches were female. According to the Telegraph, seven of those 12 teams now have male head coaches. Six of the teams at the 2023 World Cup had no female coaches of any kind.
FIFA says this new regulation is part of its “long-term strategy, which combines statutory advances with sustained investment in coach education and professional development, to prepare women for such leading positions.”
“Of course, we need more women in important positions in football,” ESPN reports FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at the UEFA Congress in February.
“So, we should support, of course, more women in football positions and more women generally. Maybe we need … more women coaches in women’s teams.”
Currently, the most high-profile female head coaches in women’s soccer are Emma Hayes with the United States, Norway’s manager Gemma Grainger, Casey Stoney with Canada, Carla Ward with the Republic of Ireland, Rhian Wilkinson with Wales, and England manager Sarina Wiegman.