For the first time in the history of football, female referees will officiate men’s World Cup games.
FIFA has announced the names of 36 referees who will be in charge of officiating games in Qatar including three female referees.
Stephanie Frappart 38, Yoshimi Yamashita 36, and 33-year-old Salima Mukansanga have been chosen for the historic occassion.
Frappart is probably the most recognized name among the female referees taking charge of the World Cup game.
She officiated the 2019 Women’s World Cup final, before refereeing the UEFA Super Cup tie between Liverpool and Chelsea that same year.
In December 2020, Frappart made history by becoming the first woman to referee in the men’s UEFA Champions League when she oversaw a 3-0 Juventus win over Dynamo Kyiv.
Japanese official Yamashita has also made Champions League history but in a different continent.
She became the first female referee ever to take charge of a match in Asia’s AFC Champions League earlier this year.
For Mukansanga, the 2022 World Cup will be her second major men’s international tournament in less than a year.
Mukansanga from Rwanda led an all-female officiating team at the Africa Cup of Nations in January when Zimbabwe met Guinea in the group stage.
Three of the 69 assistant referees called up for football’s grandest stage are also women.
They are Brazil’s Neuza Back, Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina, and the USA’s Kathryn Nesbitt.
Two of the 36 main match referees will come from England’s Premier League in the form of Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor.
Meanwhile, Major League Soccer will be represented by 40-year-old Ismail Elfath.
