FIFA has approved a landmark regulation requiring every team in its women’s competitions to include at least one female head coach or assistant coach, in a move aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in elite coaching. The decision was cleared by the FIFA Council on March 19 and will begin taking effect later this year across women’s tournaments.
The rule will be introduced at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, and the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, before extending to major senior events, including the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. FIFA has also mandated that each team must include at least one female medical staff member and have at least two female officials on the bench.
The move comes as FIFA tries to push women into leadership positions in a game where progress on the pitch has not yet been matched off it. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, only 12 of the 32 participating teams had female head coaches. By the round of 16, that number had dropped to one, with England’s Sarina Wiegman the only woman left leading a side.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis said after the decision. “We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines.”
FIFA has said the regulation is part of a wider strategy rather than a standalone mandate. Alongside the new requirement, the governing body has highlighted development programmes, coaching scholarships, and mentorship initiatives designed to help more women enter and remain in the profession. FIFA supported 795 female coaches across 73 member associations through its scholarship scheme between 2021 and 2024.
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The scale of the gap is significant. FIFA’s 2023 survey found women made up only 5% of coaches across its member associations, while its 2024 benchmarking report showed that only 22% of head coaches across 86 women’s leagues were female.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had flagged the issue earlier this year. “Of course, we need more women in important positions in football,” he said at the UEFA Congress in February. Maybe we need… more women coaches in women’s teams.”
The regulation now puts that idea into policy, with federations set to come under immediate pressure to reshape their coaching structures before FIFA’s next women’s tournaments.
