World Cup 2022: All-female team to referee men's game for first time

An all-female refereeing team will take charge of a men's World Cup game for the first time in Thursday's game between Costa Rica and Germany.

French referee Stéphanie Frappart will be the first woman to referee at a men’s World Cup game.

The 38-year-old was previously picked for fourth official duties in this year's tournament.

She has refereed men’s games in World Cup qualifying and the Champions League, and this year’s men’s French Cup final. Frappart also took charge of the 2019 Women’s World Cup final for FIFA.

On Thursday's game, Frappart will be joined by assistant referees, Brazil's Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina.

Although Frappart, Neuza and Diaz Medina were put on FIFA's list of World Cup referees ahead of the tournament, they were not actually guaranteed to officiate any games.

The women could have been employed as fourth referees on the sideline, but it has now been announced they would have senior roles.

Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States, will also be working at the Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday as the offside specialist in the video review team.

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Two other women, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan, are also on the FIFA list to referee games in Qatar.

Ahead of the tournament, Pierluigi Collina, FIFA Referees Committee Chair said: "As always, the criteria we have used is 'quality first', and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide. "In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender."