For the first time in its 92-year existence, female referees will also officiate at the men’s World Cup.
Three women have been named among FIFA’s 36 officials who will supervise the matches in Qatar later this year.
Stéphanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan will be the first women to officiate at an international men’s competition.
For several years, these trailblazers have been clearing the way for female football officials, and each of them has their own piece of history.
In 2019, Frappart made history by being the first woman to officiate a big men’s European competition as well as a Ligue 1 encounter. She became the first female referee to supervise a men’s Champions League match in 2020, and she also oversaw a men’s World Cup qualifier last year, making her the first woman to do so.
Frappart has subsequently officiated in additional Ligue 1 games and has won the IFFHS World’s Best Woman Referee title three times in a row.
Mukansanga has an impressive officiating resume, having officiated at events such as the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, among others.
The Rwandan made history earlier this year when she became the first female referee in the African Cup of Nations for men.
Yamashita has also served as a referee at the Women’s World Cup and the Olympic Games. When she became the first female referee to take command of an AFC Champions League match, the Japanese official made history.