FIFA’s council passed a new rule Thursday aimed at bolstering the role of women in leadership, changing its participation requirements for all nations ahead of the 2027 women’s World Cup.
The FIFA Council passed what it described as “landmark” regulations to mandate female representation in the coaching staff across women’s soccer teams if they wish to participate in FIFA tournaments. This rule includes the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, which had its inaugural run in January, and the upcoming women’s World Cup in Brazil next summer.
According to FIFA, the new rules require teams to have either a woman as head coach or a woman serving in the assistant head coach role. Two female staff members must also be on the bench, according to FIFA.
Jill Ellis, FIFA’s chief football officer, said that the rule changes will be paired with development programs that represent an investment in women in coaching.
“We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” Ellis said.
The move is part of what FIFA described as its long-term strategy of investing in women in leadership positions across the sport as women’s soccer continues to grow in popularity. Despite the millions of girls and women who play on the pitch, FIFA notes that “coaching positions remain predominantly occupied by men.”
This was on display for soccer fans in the 2023 women’s World Cup, where only 12 of 32 head coaches were women.
A 2019 survey of the women’s game by FIFA found that only 7% of coaching positions in its member associations were held by women. That number decreased to 5% in a 2023 survey by the governing body.
Coaching licenses typically operate in a tier system, with the bottom rungs allowing people to coach youth soccer. The licenses go up in price with each tier at the semiprofessional and professional levels.
Top-tier licenses required for head coaching positions can cost thousands of dollars across the world, with the highest level of U.S. Soccer licensing priced at $10,000, and at $6,250 for the A-License course for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Those costs can be a burden, as salaries for women in soccer have historically not been high, though some teams and federations may offer some form of sponsorship for those seeking licenses.
Twila Kilgore, a former assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national team, told The Associated Press in 2023 that she was able to get her pro license with help from the club where she worked.
Kilgore is now a technical director for the same club, the National Women’s Soccer League’s Houston Dash.
“I can tell you it’s a huge blessing because every other step along the way with licensing up to this point, I’ve paid for myself with a little bit offset from the universities I’ve worked at,” Kilgore said at the time. “It is a major barrier for a lot of people.”
