FIFA has appointed three women’s referees and three women’s assistant referees ahead of the 2022 World Cup for the first time in the competition’s history.
A total of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials for the tournament have been appointed. English referees Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver are among those that have been selected. There are, however, no English VAR officials selected for the tournament.
The appointment of six female match officials for the FIFA World Cup is a landmark moment in the sport, as it is for the first time female referees have a chance to take charge of men’s World Cup finals matches in the competition’s 92-year history.
The selected female referees are Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan. Moreover, the female assistant referees are Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA.
It should be noted, however, that not all referee and assistant teams at a World Cup are guaranteed to officiate a game, and much depends on the performance in the lead-up to the tournament that starts on November 21.
