The FIFA Council codified its gender equity push this week, passing legislation on Thursday that requires every women's soccer team participating in a FIFA-sanctioned event to feature a woman head coach or assistant coach on its staff.
Additionally, all women's teams must staff a minimum of three women — including one specifically on the medical staff — with the aforementioned assistant or head coach counting toward the global governing body's newly required tally.
The new rule comes into effect prior to this year's U17 and U20 Women's World Cups, with all of FIFA's youth and senior women's national team tournaments and club competitions subject to the new mandate.
"There are simply not enough women in coaching today," FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis said in a Thursday statement. "We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines."
Though top sideline leaders like USWNT manager Emma Hayes and England boss Sarina Weigman populate headlines alongside their team's trophies, the vast majority of women's football coaches are still men.
Citing the fact that just 12 of the 32 head coaches at the 2023 World Cup were women, Thursday's FIFA statement explained that the governing body is seeking to match "the rapid growth of the women's game" with "an increased representation of women in technical and leadership roles."
Along with the implementation of this week's rule, FIFA's strategy to bolster the ranks of women on the sport's sidelines includes coaching eduction programs and directly supporting other professional development initiatives.
"The new FIFA regulations, combined with targeted development programs, mark an important investment in both the current and future generation of female coaches," added Ellis.
