Women referees to work FIFA Men's World Cup for first time

On Wednesday, history was made when it was announced that the U.S. Women's National Team members and their counterparts, the U.S. Men's National Team, will receive equal pay for international matches. On Thursday morning, it was reported that female referees will soon be making history on the international stage as well.

For the first time this November at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, female refs will be used to work a major men's tournament.

"Three female referees and three female assistant referees were announced on Thursday by FIFA among 129 officials selected for World Cup duty, including one man who caused controversy when refereeing a chaotic African Cup of Nations game in January while suffering with heatstroke," a report from the Associated Press and ESPN said. "French referee Stephanie Frappart officiated men's games in World Cup qualifying and the Champions League, after handling the 2019 Women's World Cup final. She also refereed the final of the men's French Cup this month."

The 2022 World Cup is slated to take place from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18.

"'As always, the criteria we have used is 'quality first' and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,'" FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina, who worked the 2002 World Cup final said. "'In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender.'"

The other two female referees scheduled to work the World Cup are Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga and Japanese official Yoshimi Yamashita. Among the 69 assistant referees are Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States.