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For all the growth in women’s football, who gets to lead from the sidelines hasn’t kept pace.
At the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, just 12 of 32 teams were led by women. By the quarterfinals, that number dropped to one. Sarina Wiegman, head coach of the England women’s national football team, stood alone.
The gap isn’t new. The lack of women in coaching has been well documented. Now, FIFA is stepping in to force change.
Football’s world governing body recently approved new regulations requiring every team in its women’s competitions to include at least one female head coach or assistant coach, alongside at least one female member of medical staff. At least two women must be named on the bench for every match.
The rule applies to youth and senior tournaments, including national teams and club competitions. It will begin rolling out this year, starting with the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September, followed by the U-17 tournament and the Women’s Champions Cup.
This isn’t a recommendation. It’s a requirement.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” said FIFA’s Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis. “We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities and increasing visibility for women on our sidelines.”
For many in the game, that shift is long overdue.
Speaking in 2024, Emma Hayes — head coach of the United States women’s national team — described the lack of women in coaching as “a massive issue,” calling for more creative ways to open up the profession.
The imbalance is hard to ignore. Wiegman has been a rare constant in major tournaments.
“Of course, what we hope is to get more female coaches at the top level and that the balance gets better than it is right now,” she said. “If the balance is better, then hopefully that will inspire more women to get involved in coaching.”
FIFA is positioning the new rule as part of a broader effort to strengthen the pipeline. Since 2021, its Coach Education Scholarship Program has supported nearly 800 women across more than 70 member associations to gain formal coaching qualifications, alongside wider mentorship and development opportunities to move more women into elite roles.
The new mandate adds another layer: ensuring those pathways don’t just exist but lead to opportunities on the sidelines.
That visibility matters. Coaching roles at international tournaments shape results. They also signal who belongs in leadership. For younger coaches coming through, seeing women on the bench can be as influential as any formal program.
The question now is what happens next.
Mandating representation may open doors. However, it doesn’t address the deeper barriers behind the numbers — access to licensing, hiring networks and long-standing biases in who gets trusted with top roles.
But with this formal commitment, we hope to see systems shift to address these barriers. And as the women’s game continues to grow, the leaders standing on the sidelines may start to look a little more like the players on the pitch.
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