FIFA has introduced a new mandate that is geared towards breaking the “glass ceiling” in international football, such that female coaches are provided a guaranteed platform in the Women’s World Cup and other top-tier tournaments. Under the newly introduced regulations announced on Thursday, every team in the tournament will be required to have a minimum of one woman in their senior technical bench, such that she serves as the head coach or assistant coach.

The decision is a direct response to the gender disparity witnessed in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, in which only 10 out of 32 teams had female coaches. Despite this lack of representation, female managers have consistently proven their elite credentials; England’s Sarina Wiegman, for instance, steered the Lionesses to the final, continuing a remarkable personal run of success. Jill Ellis, FIFA’s Chief Football Officer and herself a double World Cup-winning manager, stressed that the organisation must do more to “accelerate change” by creating visible pathways for women on the sidelines.

This policy effectively scales up a model already trailed by UEFA. While the European game is often seen as more developed, only seven of the 16 teams at the most recent Women’s Euros featured a female head coach. However, UEFA’s internal rules ensured that any team opting for a male manager was required to appoint a woman as an assistant.

The historical data suggests that when women are given these roles, they tend to dominate the podium. Since 1997, every single winner of the Women’s European Championship has been led by a female head coach— a streak of eight consecutive titles. By globalising this requirement, FIFA hopes to foster a more inclusive environment that reflects the growth of the game on the pitch with a similar evolution in the dugout.

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