FIFA Mandates at least One Female Coach Per Women's Team

• FIFA has introduced new regulations for women’s competitions
• A team must have at least one female head coach or assistant coach
• This is in an effort to increase the number of female coaches at the top level

FIFA has introduced a set of regulations that require all teams taking part in a women’s tournament organized by the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) to have a minimum of one female head coach or assistant coach. This is in a bid to increase the number of women in coaching positions in top-tier football.

The regulations, approved by the FIFA Council on Thursday, will come into effect from the upcoming women’s youth tournaments, including the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, the Under-17 and Under-20 Cups, and the Women’s Championship Cup. They will also be implemented in all top-tier tournaments, including the Women’s World Cup scheduled for Brazil next year.

According to the regulations, each team is required to have a minimum of two female staff members in the substitutes’ bench. These regulations will be implemented in all women’s tournaments, starting from youth tournaments and going up to top-tier tournaments.

FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis said the regulations are aimed at increasing the number of women in coaching positions. Currently, there are a limited number of women in these positions.

As revealed by FIFA, there are only 12 women's national football head coaches out of a possible 32 total head coaching positions (32), during the 2023 Women’s World Cup that took place in Australia.

The only female head coach to advance beyond the Round of 16 was Sarina Wiegman, the current head coach of the England Women’s National Team; she ultimately led the English team to a Second Place finish at the tournament.

The FIFA Member Associations Survey confirmed that 5 percent of all coaches who were part of the FIFA member associations were female (Survey included data from Men’s and Women’s Football).

Further to that, a FIFA report titled "Setting the Pace" prepared in 2024 which covered 86 women’s leagues around the world showed that women accounted for 22 percent of head coaches within Women’s Football.

FIFA indicated these initiatives are part of their long-term plan to increase the number of women who hold coaching, technical and leadership positions as Women’s Football participation continues to grow.

FIFA has also recently expanded its support programs, including providing scholarship opportunities for women who are currently coaching in the Women's Super League Divisions 1 and 2, which allows those women to reach the UEFA Pro or A level coaching license.