For the first time in history, women will be able to referee at a FIFA World Cup, with three selected for the competition in Qatar starting this week.
Of the 36 referees chosen for the men’s games, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) selected three women– French Stephanie Frappart, Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita.
Three other women will also participate as assistant referees– Brazilian Noiza Pak, Mexican Karen Dias Medina and American Catherine Nesbitt.
One of the referees, Mukansanga said on the appointment: “We are here because we deserve to be here.”
“This is the biggest level of football, so being here means we deserve to be here. It’s not a chance. It’s not because we are women.”
Despite some of the World Cups’ conservative participating nations – Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – the female referees will not face restrictions based on cultural or religious grounds in matches.
The trio’s participation in Qatar’s World Cup might be a first for the tournament, but it’s not the female referee’s first time breaking barriers.
The 38-year-old French referee, Frappart was the first female referee for a UEFA Champions League game in 2020 and took charge of the 2019 UEFA Supercup. She was also the first in the French second division (2014) and the first division for men (2019).
Similarly in Japan, 36-year-old Yamashita was the first woman to run a match in the AFC Champions League in 2019 and was the first female to officiate a J League match.
Upon learning she was selected to referee the World Cup, Yamashita says the news was “unbelievable.”
“I feel the pressure, but I also feel a lot of joy in having the opportunity to feel this pressure, and having this responsibility. That’s what I should be focused on, and it’s positive,” says Yamashita.
Thirty-four year-old Mukansanga was the first woman to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of this year.
Refereeing is a traditionally male-dominated profession and Mukansanga wants to inspire more women to take it up.
“It’s a moment. It’s an opportunity we get now to open the door,” says Mukansanga.
The global event is being held in the Middle East for the first time and will begin on Sunday, November 20. Over the 29-day tournament, more than a million fans are expected to arrive in person.