Women referees at 2022 Qatar FIFA Men's World Cup for the first time!

In a breakthrough for gender equality within sports, especially football, FIFA named three female referees to officiate at this year's men’s World Cup for the first time in tournament history.

FIFA confirmed on Thursday that Stéphanie Frappart of France, Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita and Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga were among the 36 referees chosen to officiate at the tournament. Three female assistant referees were also selected for the event.

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Notably, 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been selected to take the field in Qatar in November and December.

Talking about the development, the chairman of FIFA's referee's committee Pierluigi Collina said "I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women's match officials for important men's competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational."

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