Women’s Teams Must Appoint at Least One Female Coach, FIFA Mandates

The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) is tightening its grip on gender representation in the women’s game, introducing new rules that will compel teams to include female coaches on the sidelines of all its major tournaments.

Under the regulations approved by the FIFA Council, every team competing in women’s competitions must appoint at least one female head or assistant coach, alongside a minimum of two female staff members on the bench.

The directive will come into force at upcoming editions of the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups, as well as the Women’s Champions Cup, before extending across all FIFA women’s tournaments from youth to senior level.

FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis, said the move is designed to address the persistent underrepresentation of women in technical roles despite the rapid growth of the sport.

“There are simply not enough women in coaching today.

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“We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing 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,” she said.

The policy shift follows data that highlights the imbalance at the top level. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia, only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women, a disparity FIFA believes fails to reflect the sport’s global expansion.

Ellis pointed out that Sarina Wiegman was the only female coach remaining after the round of 16, eventually guiding England to a second-place finish.

Broader trends show the gap runs even deeper. FIFA data indicates women account for just five per cent of coaches across both men’s and women’s teams worldwide, while its 2024 “Setting the Pace” report found that only 22 per cent of head coaches in 86 surveyed women’s leagues are female.

FIFA says the new requirements form part of a long-term strategy to ensure leadership representation keeps pace with the commercial and competitive rise of women’s football.

The organisation further stated that it had increased support for women’s coaching in recent years, including the provision of scholarships for women in top leagues to obtain UEFA Pro or A coaching licences.