The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is set to take place in Australia and New Zealand, commencing this Thursday, July 20, and running until August 20. Anticipation is high for this ninth edition of this soccer tournament.
This tournament will make history as it hosts a total of 32 teams, eight more than the previous edition. After their win in 2019 France, the US Women’s National Team stands as the current champions.
While it’s clear that the focus is on the players, another important aspect in which women have also made progress is refereeing. This year, all the referees will be women, including six video match officials for the first time.
Why are all the referees in the FWWC women?
According to the Evening Standard, FIFA has had an “all-female” rule for the Women’s World Cup since 1995, as a part of their compromise to include women in all areas of the game. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t men as part of the refereeing team, as there will be 13 video match officials for the VAR during the World Cup.
According to FIFA, a total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs) will be part of the tournament. While the rule of “all-female officials” has been criticized, the organization states that the “FIFA’s women’s refereeing programme has ensured high-level and targeted preparation in the whole preparation phase” for this World Cup.
Mostly, the controversy comes as there are not many women refereeing in big matches, as opposed to men. However, in recent years, more women referees have been working in big tournaments, including the past 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On the other hand, with the growing popularity of women’s soccer tournaments, more female officials have gained experience in high-stakes matches.
