Stephanie Frappart and Salima Mukansanga created history when they became the first women to officiate at a men’s World Cup, and were named fourth officials in Tuesday’s Group C game. 

Frappart and Mukansanga are two of the three women named to FIFA’s list of 129 referees for the World Cup in Qatar, along with Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita. The additions mark the first appearance of female referees at the championship tournament.

Stephanie Frappart

Stephanie Frappart, 38, has a long list of accomplishments under her belt. She took the wheel in her first World Cup final in France in 2019. In the same year, while pursuing her aspirations, she officiated at the UEFA Super Cup final. In 2020, Frappart created history when she became the first woman to officiate a men’s Champions League match. Her professional triumph continued a year later when she took charge of Atletico Madrid in a second-leg round of 16 tie in the women’s UCL.

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She also officiated the Coupe de France final in 2022. Frappart’s work was widely recognised, as evidenced by her three-year streak of winning the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) World’s Best Woman Referee award. The Frenchwoman commented on her spectacular presence in the upcoming FIFA men’s World Cup 2022, saying that women referees at the mega tournaments will send a powerful message. She believes that having women referees is a strong signal from FIFA and the authorities. Frappart also hoped that this decision would result in better outcomes for women in sports. 

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Salima Mukansanga

Salima Mukansanga, a Rwandan referee, has been refereeing at the FIFA World Cup since 2012. Mukansanga had a childhood dream of becoming a professional basketball player. In an interview with the News Times, she stated that she enjoyed basketball and wanted to take it seriously, but that access to basketball infrastructure was difficult.

That’s how she got into refereeing, which she says she never regretted. Mukansanga has progressed to the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and now Qatar. Last year, she was also associated with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was also in charge of the men’s Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. After naming as an official for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, she said that officiating at the World Cup is “every referee’s dream.”