The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has introduced a new rule requiring women’s teams of member associations to include at least one female head coach or assistant coach in their technical crew.
The decision was approved during the FIFA Council meeting on Thursday.
The directive takes immediate effect across all FIFA competitions scheduled for this year, including the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, as well as next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
According to FIFA, the policy is designed to ensure that women’s representation in technical and leadership roles keeps pace with the rapid development of the women’s game.
The global football body noted that only 12 female coaches were present among the 32 teams at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with just one remaining after the round of 16.
FIFA further stated that, in addition to appointing at least one female head or assistant coach, teams must also have a minimum of two other female staff members on the bench.
“Since 2021, FIFA has supported 795 female coaches across 73 Member Associations through its coach education scholarship programme, enabling them to access advanced qualifications and professional opportunities,” FIFA said.
“Additional investment is being made through the legacy programme linked to the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026, whereby clubs in the Women’s Super League 1 and 2 were provided with coaching scholarships for women to obtain their UEFA Pro or A Licence.”
Reacting to the development, Jill Ellis, FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, expressed concern over the limited number of female coaches and emphasised the need for improvement.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today.
“We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines.”
Nigeria has previously appointed women as both assistant and head coaches of its female national team, including Uche Eucheria, who became the first female assistant coach of the Super Falcons and later their first female head coach in 2010, leading the team to a WAFCON title.
Florence Omagbemi also secured WAFCON success in 2016, becoming the first woman to win the competition as both a player and a coach.
Justine Madugu is the current head coach of the Super Falcons and guided the team to its 10th WAFCON title last year.