Al Khor (Qatar)
History will be made when Costa Rica face Germany on December 1 at the Al Bayt Stadium when France's Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman in the history of the FIFA World Cup to referee a finals match in the men's tournament.
Frappart, who will be the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match, will be joined by assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico's Karen Diaz Medina for the crucial Group E game on Thursday.
This Thursday, an all-female refereeing trio will take charge of a men’s @FIFAWorldCup match for the first time.
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 29, 2022
Stéphanie Frappart will be joined by assistants Neuza Back and Karen Diaz in overseeing @fedefutbolcrc against @DFB_Team.
History in the making! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KusT7SOUn9
However, it will not be the first time the 38-year-old French referee has written her name into football history. Frappart was also the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League game.
"The men's World Cup is the most important sporting competition in the world. I was the first referee in France and in Europe, so I know how to deal with it," Frappart said in an official statement released by FIFA.com.
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Before the World Cup, Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said of the three female referees at the World Cup: "They were not selected because they are women but as FIFA referees. They could officiate any game."