FIFA has introduced new regulations mandating that every team participating in its women’s competitions must appoint at least one female head coach or assistant coach, in a move aimed at increasing representation at the highest level of the game.
The directive, approved by the FIFA Council, will take effect from upcoming tournaments including the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups, as well as the Women’s Champions Cup.
FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis said the new rules also require each team to have a minimum of two female staff members on the bench, a standard that will apply across all FIFA women’s competitions from youth to senior level.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” Ellis said, stressing the need to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities and increasing visibility for women in technical roles.
She described the new regulations, alongside development programmes, as a strategic investment in both current and future generations of female coaches.
The decision follows concerns over low female representation in coaching. At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women—a figure FIFA says does not reflect the rapid global growth of the women’s game.
Ellis noted that Sarina Wiegman was the only female coach remaining after the round of 16 and went on to guide England to a second-place finish.
Data cited by FIFA further highlights the gap. A 2023 Member Associations Survey found that women accounted for an average of just five per cent of coaches globally across both men’s and women’s teams.
Additionally, FIFA’s 2024 “Setting the Pace” benchmarking report, which surveyed 86 women’s leagues worldwide, revealed that only 22 per cent of head coaches were women.
FIFA said the new policy is part of a broader, long-term strategy to ensure that women’s representation in coaching and leadership roles grows in line with the expanding popularity of the women’s game.
The organisation also noted that it has increased support for female coaches in recent years, including offering scholarships for women in top leagues to obtain UEFA Pro and A coaching licences.
