An all-female team of referees will officiate a men’s World Cup game for the first time in Thursday’s group stage between Costa Rica and Germany.
Stéphanie Frappart will be the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup.
The Frenchwoman became the tournament’s first female official when she was named fourth official for the match between Mexico and Poland last Tuesday.
“We know the pressure,” Frappart told BBC Sport ahead of the tournament.
“But I think we won’t change ourselves. Be calm, focused, focused and don’t think too much about the media and everything, just focus on the pitch.”
Frappart will be joined on Thursday by Brazil’s Neuza Back and Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina at Al Bayt Stadium.
When asked if she ever had any comments from players, coaches or fans because of her status as a woman, Frappart said: “Since I started, I have always been supported by teams. , clubs and players. I have always been welcome in the stadium, so I feel like another referee inside. I have always been welcome, so I think I will be welcome as before. “
She became the first woman to referee a men’s champions league match in 2020.
The 38-year-old was also the first woman to take charge of a game in a major UEFA men’s competition when Liverpool and Chelsea met in the 2019 European Super Cup.
Three women – Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita – are among the 36 officials selected to officiate matches in Qatar.
