_(1).png)
For the first time in men's FIFA World Cup history, a female referee is set to take charge of a game.
French official Stéphanie Frappart will make history on Thursday (1 December) when she will take to the field to oversee the Group E decider between Germany and Costa Rica.
Not only that, but Frappart will be part of an all-female officiating team for the game at the Al Bayt Stadium.
She will be joined by assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Díaz Medina on the pitch.
Advert
Meanwhile, Kathryn Nesbitt of the US will be heading up the video assistant referee team away from the stadium.
It is not the first time Frappart will be referring a men's game though, as she has officiated games in the French Ligue 1 league since 2019.
She has also overseen proceedings between Liverpool and Chelsea in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final, and also a 2020 Champions League match.
Advert
And she also has history with FIFA, as she made history back in March this year when she became the first woman to referee a World Cup Qualifier - which was a match between the Netherlands and Latvia.
Frappart has already had active involvement in Qatar for the World Cup - she featured as a fourth official during Mexico's goalless draw with Poland in Group C on 22 November.
The French referee is not the only female one in FIFA's pool of officials for the tournament, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita also joining her.
Before the football tournament began in the Middle East earlier this month, Frappart took part in media interviews discussing her involvement.
Advert
Speaking to The Athletic, she said: "The men’s World Cup is the most important competition in the world, not only football.
"But I was the first female referee in France, the first in Europe, every time the first. I know how to deal with that."
In the build-up to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, one topic of conversation has been women's rights in the country.
Advert
Frappart discussed that in the same interview, saying: "I’ve been to Qatar many times for seminars, and for the preparation of the World Cup. I’ve always been welcome in Qatar, so I have no problem to go there, to referee there.
"But I know what’s happened in Qatar. I will go there for the competition, I wouldn’t go there for the environment.
"But perhaps this World Cup will improve women’s rights in the country. I cannot say that I am not looking around at what’s happened, but I hope that this World Cup will be a step in the right direction."
Topics: News
Callum Jones