New Rule: Women’s national teams must have female coaches – FIFA

The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has introduced a new rule requiring all women’s national teams to include at least one female head coach or assistant coach in their technical crew.

The decision was approved at a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday and takes immediate effect across all FIFA competitions scheduled for this year and beyond.

Affected tournaments include the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, as well as next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

FIFA said the directive is aimed at increasing female representation in coaching and leadership roles, in line with the rapid global growth of women’s football.

The football body expressed concern over the low number of female coaches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where only 12 of the 32 participating teams had women in coaching positions, with just one remaining after the round of 16.

Under the new regulation, each team must also have at least two additional female staff members on the bench, further strengthening the presence of women in technical roles.

FIFA noted that since 2021, it has supported hundreds of female coaches through its scholarship programmes, helping them gain advanced qualifications and access professional opportunities.

The organisation also revealed plans to expand investment through development initiatives linked to upcoming competitions, including support for women pursuing top-level coaching licences.

FIFA Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis, stressed the urgency of the reform, noting that the number of women in coaching remains significantly low and requires deliberate action to improve.

In Nigeria, women have previously held key coaching roles within the national team setup. Uche Eucheria became the first female head coach of the Super Falcons and led the team to victory at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2010.

Florence Omagbemi also guided the Falcons to WAFCON success in 2016, becoming the first woman to win the tournament as both a player and a coach.

The new FIFA directive is expected to open more opportunities for women in football management while promoting inclusivity and gender balance in the sport.

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