New FIFA ruling boosts prospects for women coaches

All teams participating in a women’s tournament organised by FIFA will be required to have a female head coach or assistant after football’s governing body passed ground-breaking regulations at its council meeting on Thursday.

The change applies to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions and club competitions, and will debut at the Under-20 women’s World Cup in Poland in September.

It will also be in use at the second edition of the women’s Champions Cup, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the inaugural women’s Club World Cup in two years’ time.

In its statement, 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”.

In spite of the growth of the women’s game, coaching positions are still occupied largely by men: at the 2023 women’s World Cup just 12 of the 32 head coaches were female.

“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” said Jill Ellis, FIFA’s chief football officer and former United States national team head coach.

“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 programmes, mark an important investment in both the current and future generation of female coaches.”

The new rules will also mandate at least two female staff on the bench, which can include the mandatory coach.

Teams will also be required to have one woman on their medical staff.