Stephanie Frappart of France will become the first women’s referee to referee the men’s World Cup match between Germany and Costa Rica on Thursday.
Stephanie Frappart to referee Costa Rica vs Germany
The 38-year-old will command an all-female on-field staff for the Group E match at Al Bayt Stadium, with Brazil’s Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina serving as her assistants.
Frappart has already made history in the tournament, becoming the first female official for a men’s World Cup match when she was fourth official for Mexico’s goalless draw with Poland last Tuesday.
FIFA announced three female referees on its list of 36 for the competition, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita also in Qatar.
The French official’s name has already gone down in history. She became the first female referee to take charge of a men’s World Cup Qualifier in March 2021, when the Netherlands defeated Latvia 2-0 in Amsterdam.
When Italian champions Juventus defeated Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 in the group stage in Turin in December 2020, she became the first female official to take command of a men’s Champions League match.
She also refereed the 2019 Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as the 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and the Netherlands.