Stephanie Frappart set to become first woman referee in a men’s FIFA World Cup match in Qatar 2022

The French official will take charge of the group stage game between Costa Rica and Germany on December 2.

Stephanie Frappart, as fourth official, during the Portugal vs Ghana match. | Photo Credit: Hannah McKay

Stephanie Frappart will become the first female referee to take charge of a men’s FIFA World Cup game.

The French official will take charge of the group stage game between Costa Rica and Germany on December 2. In the process, she will become the first woman to take charge of a World Cup game in the competition’s 92-year history.

Brazil’s Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina are the other women officials who have been designated for the same fixture.

It is not Frappart’s first record. In 2021, she became the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup qualifying match, when she took charge of the Netherlands against Latvia.

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She became one of three female referees to be selected in the pool for the World Cup in May, along with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan.

The game between Costa Rica and Germany is one of the most important group stage games left in the competition. Germany needs to win to have any chance of reaching the last-16 of the World Cup, as it is currently bottom of Group E. Costa Rica also needs at least a draw to have a realistic chance of progressing. Both teams, however, will have to wait for the full-time score of the match between Spain and Japan.