France’s Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a match at the men’s World Cup after being selected to take charge of Thursday’s clash between Germany and Costa Rica.
The 38-year-old will lead an all-female on-field team for the Group E match at Al Bayt Stadium, with Brazil’s Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina chosen as her assistants.
Frappart has already made history at the tournament, having become the first female official for a men’s World Cup match when she was fourth official for the goalless draw between Mexico and Poland last Tuesday.
FIFA has named three female referees on its list of 36 for the competition, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita also in Qatar.
The French official has already written her name into the history books. In March 2021, she became the first female referee to take charge of a men’s World Cup Qualifier as the Netherlands beat Latvia 2-0 in Amsterdam.
In December 2020 she became the first female official to take charge of a men’s Champions League match when Italian champions Juventus defeated Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 in the group stage in Turin.
She also refereed the Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea in 2019, and the women’s World Cup final between the US and the Netherlands the same year.
Ahead of the start of the tournament, Frappart said she hoped the inclusion of female referees in Qatar would “make things happen” on a broader level. “It’s a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have women referees in that country,” she said.
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