Stephanie Frappart becomes first woman to referee a men’s World Cup qualifying match

Stephanie Frappart made history by being the first female referee to officiate a men’s World Cup qualifying match.

On Saturday, the 37-year-old officiated the Netherlands’ 2-0 victory over Latvia.

The Netherlands bounced back from their opening 2022 World Cup qualifying loss to Turkey three days earlier thanks to goals from Steven Berghuis and Luuk de Jong.

Frappart had a simple evening, handing out yellow cards to Kriss Karklins, Janis Ikaunieks, Daley Blind, and De Jong.

Frappart is well-versed in the art of making history.

When Juventus defeated Dynamo Kiev 3-0 last December, the French-born official became the first woman to referee a Champions League match.

Frappart’s other historic and first-ever distinctions include officiating a Ligue 1 match in the same year and refereeing the 2019 Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea.

Kateryna Monzul will follow her female colleague’s lead when she referees a men’s World Cup qualifier between Austria and Faroe Islands on Sunday.

Pierluigi Collina, who is regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever referees, has praised Frappart and Monzul for the progress they have made in football.

He said: “Although they already had some matches in important men’s competitions under their belts, officiating a FIFA World Cup qualifier for the first time is special and is something to be very proud of.

“They have worked very hard in recent years and these appointments are recognition for the good job that they have done.”