World football governing body FIFA has introduced a new rule requiring every team in its women’s tournaments to have at least one female head coach or assistant coach. 

Starting with this year’s U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups and the Women’s Champions Cup, at least two staff members on the bench must be female, with one holding a coaching role.

The regulation applies to all youth and senior competitions, for both clubs and national teams, aiming to boost female representation in coaching.

At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, only 12 of 32 head coaches were women, including England’s Sarina Wiegman, and FIFA hopes these changes will grow that number ahead of the 2027 tournament in Brazil.