French woman referee will lead officiating crew at World Cup, make history

When she oversees Germany vs. Costa Rica on Thursday in Qatar, French official Stéphanie Frappart will make history by becoming the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match.

To complete an all-female officiating staff on the pitch, FIFA also selected two women, Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico, as assistants to Frappart.

Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States, a fourth woman match official selected by FIFA for this World Cup, will also work at the Al Bayt Stadium as the offside specialist in the video review crew.
On the FIFA list of female referees for games in Qatar are two additional women: Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan and Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda.

For the 44th of the 64 games taking place in Qatar, FIFA made the historic appointments.

Frappart was already chosen for fourth official responsibilities.

The 38-year-old Frenchwoman has been elevated in the men’s game by both her own nation and the European soccer governing body, UEFA.

She officiated matches including men in the Champions League, World Cup qualification, and this year’s French Cup final. She oversaw the 2019 Women’s World Cup championship match for FIFA.

VOA