Stéphanie Frappart to become first ever female referee at men’s World Cup match

By Alma Fabiani

Published Nov 30, 2022 at 01:45 PM

Reading time: 1 minute

38924

The high-profile French referee will be taking charge of the Costa Rica versus Germany game taking place on Thursday 1 December during Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The 38-year-old will be joined by the assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Díaz Medina for the crucial game, FIFA announced on Tuesday 29 November. Frappart will mark another milestone in her career at the Al Bayt Stadium, having previously refereed a men’s World Cup qualifier in March, a men’s Champions League game in 2020, the 2019 Uefa Super Cup final, and matches in Ligue 1.

Frappart featured as the fourth official during Mexico’s goalless draw with Poland in Group C. Two other female referees—Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan—were also included in FIFA’s pool of World Cup officials. Along with Back and Díaz Medina, US official Kathryn Nesbitt was also called up as the offside specialist in the video review team.

Before the tournament began, the high-profile football expert shared that she hoped the inclusion of female referees in Qatar would “make things happen” on a broader level. “It’s a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have women referees in that country,” she said.

Germany is currently in need of a win this Thursday to have any hope of not repeating its failure in Russia in 2018 and crashing out at the group stage. Football coach Hansi Flick’s squad is currently last in Group E following a surprising defeat to Japan in its opening game.

While a late equaliser from Niclas Füllkrug secured an invaluable point against Spain in its second match, die Mannschaft still has a lot to do in the final group stage game—with even a win not enough to guarantee qualification.

Even if the team does end up beating Costa Rica, the four-time world champions still have to hope Spain beats Japan. Let’s wish for Germany that history stays on its side—the country has won six of its eight World Cup matches against CONCACAF nations, while Costa Rica has won just one of its last 11 such games against European sides.

Keep On Reading

By Eliza Frost

Controversial American Apparel owner just opened LA Apparel in NYC and TikTok girlies are flocking to shop

By Eliza Frost

Hailey Bieber just listed all the beauty treatments she swears by

By Eliza Frost

Cruz Beckham’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel defends the couple’s age gap relationship 

By Eliza Frost

Is Belly Conklin the problem in The Summer I Turned Pretty?

By Eliza Frost

Kendall Jenner reveals plans to quit Kardashian fame for a normal job

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Chris Briney is at the centre of a new love triangle, but this time for an audio erotica story 

By Eliza Frost

Gen Z can’t afford one-night stands as rising cost of living causes sex recession

By Eliza Frost

Taylor Swift’s Release Party of a Showgirl is coming to cinemas everywhere, and it’s already made $15M

By Eliza Frost

Did Katy Perry just confirm relationship with ex-Canadian PM Justin Trudeau?

By Eliza Frost

Are you in Group 7? Explaining the latest viral TikTok trend

By Eliza Frost

Why is everyone saying ‘Six-Seven’? The meaning behind the viral phrase

By Eliza Frost

Netflix’s Adolescence sweeps Emmys, with star Owen Cooper making history as youngest-ever male winner

By Eliza Frost

Louis Tomlinson opens up about Liam Payne’s death and reflects on One Direction’s 15th anniversary

By Eliza Frost

Kim Kardashian wants to know how much a carton of milk costs 

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty is getting a movie. Could it be here in time for Christmas?

By Eliza Frost

Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race, and wife Rama Duwaji becomes city’s Gen Z first lady 

By Eliza Frost

Vogue has declared boyfriends embarrassing, and the internet agrees

By Eliza Frost

Everything to know about Justin Lee Fisher, arrested at Travis Kelce’s home over Taylor Swift deposition papers from Justin Baldoni

By Eliza Frost

NHS makes morning-after pill free at 10,000 pharmacies across England

By Eliza Frost

The Life of a Showgirl or The Life of a Tradwife? Unpicking Taylor Swift’s new album