FIFA has directed all teams participating in its women’s competitions to include at least one female head coach or assistant as part of new regulations aimed at boosting women’s representation in coaching.
The directive, approved by the FIFA Council, will take effect from the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups as well as the Women’s Champions Cup. Teams will also be required to have a minimum of two female staff members on the bench across all women’s tournaments, from youth to senior level.
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FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis said the move is designed to address the shortage of women in coaching roles at the highest level.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing visibility for women on our sidelines,” Ellis said.
She described the regulations, alongside targeted development programmes, as a significant investment in both current and future generations of female coaches.
Ellis highlighted the disparity at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, where only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women, figures that do not reflect the rapid growth of the women’s game globally.
She noted that Sarina Wiegman was the only female coach to reach the latter stages of the tournament, guiding England to a second-place finish.
According to FIFA data, women account for just five per cent of coaches across both men’s and women’s teams worldwide. A separate 2024 benchmarking report covering 86 women’s leagues found that only 22 per cent of head coaches are women.
