FIFA has approved a new rule requiring all women’s teams to have a female head coach or assistant coach.
The FIFA Council today approved regulations mandating female representation in team leadership across all its women’s competitions.
This applies to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions.
“From this year onwards, each team participating in FIFA women’s competitions shall ensure that their head coach and/or at least one of the assistant coaches be female, that at least one of the medical staff be female, and that at least two officials seated on the team bench be female. This applies to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions,” FIFA said on Thursday.
The regulations will debut at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in September. It will be followed by the FIFA U-17 World Cup and FIFA Women’s Champions Cup this year.
It will also be implemented at the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to be held in Brazil in 2027.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis.
FIFA said the initiative is part of its broader strategy to ensure that the rapid growth of the women’s game is matched by an increased representation of women in technical and leadership roles.
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