Trending Now - FIFA Mandates Female Leadership in Women's Teams

WHO:

FIFA, FIFA Council, Jill Ellis (FIFA chief football officer), Gianni Infantino (FIFA president)

WHAT:

FIFA mandated that women's teams must have a woman head coach or assistant coach on the bench.

Teams must have at least two women staff members in their backroom staff, with one needing to be either the head coach or assistant coach.

This ruling applies across all of FIFA's youth and senior women's football tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions.

At the 2023 World Cup, only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women.

WHEN:

The new legislation was approved on Thursday, March 17th, 2026, and comes into effect immediately ahead of the under-17 and U20 Women's World Cups and FIFA Women's Champions Cup.

WHY:

The initiative aims to increase the number of women coaches in football.

Jill Ellis stated, "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."

Gianni Infantino emphasized the need for more women in important positions in football, stating, "Of course we need more women in important positions in football."

HOW:

FIFA's strategy combines statutory advances with sustained investment in coach education and professional development to prepare women for leading positions.

(UPDATED March 19, 2026 23:11 UTC)

FIFA has announced a groundbreaking ruling requiring that women's teams must have a woman head coach or assistant coach on the bench, along with at least two women staff members in their backroom staff, effective immediately. This legislation, approved last Thursday, applies to all of FIFA's youth and senior women's tournaments and aims to increase the representation of women in coaching roles, a need highlighted by FIFA officials Jill Ellis and Gianni Infantino. The initiative combines new regulations with ongoing investments in coach education and professional development to create more opportunities for women in football.