As a competitive qualifying campaign starts to heat up across the globe, the selection process and training for the 33rd team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 has already begun. While hosts Brazil and 31 additional qualifiers compete next year for the most coveted trophy in the game, that elite 33rd team – the match officials – will be working hard to ensure that the eagerly anticipated tournament is refereed at the very highest level.
Towards the end of March, FIFA took an important step in identifying and preparing the Women’s World Cup officiating team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where 24 accomplished referees hailing from Concacaf and CONMEBOL countries gathered for a rigorous, multi-day theoretical and technical seminar. At the helm was FIFA’s Head of Women's Refereeing, Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb. “This event is one out of three FIFA women’s elite referee seminars in 2026 that we are holding all around the world, to not only recognise and scout our talents, but also develop them, and select the (FIFA) World Cup referees,” explained Ms Steinhaus-Webb, the renowned German referee who officiated the memorable FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 final between Japan and the United States in Frankfurt, Germany.
“During these three events in 2026, we are seeing 53 officials from all over the world, from 38 Member Associations that are part of our road to Brazil,” she continued. “So, we are following those 53 officials closely to not only identify their performance today, but also their development and their potential to be at their peak condition in 2027 when it matters.” The pressure and prestige of a World Cup is as high for match officials as it is for players and coaches. It is the pinnacle. “It’s a dream,” said seminar attendee Katja Koroleva, the Soviet-born American referee. So the training and demands are rigorous, and to thrive in the rarified air of a World Cup, referees must be as fit and finely tuned as the players. The seminar helps establish the standard. The 24 referees in Rio spent significant time both in the classroom and on the pitch, where they took part in physical and technical training.
“The key aspects in the referees that we are looking for is, of course, their decision making, the preciseness and consistency in their decisions. To make the best decisions, you need to be in the best position to judge the incident,” said Ms Steinhaus-Webb, who worked at nine FIFA competitions overall and became the first woman to referee a men’s Bundesliga match in 2017. “So, fitness comes into play, endurance, speed, agility – all the things we are looking into to build the strengths, your physical components, where the medical team, the physio team, takes care of and looks after,” she added. “We are working closely with the referees to understand different cultures and different styles of football to be able to anticipate play on the field. We are working, as well, with technology to make sure that VAR processes, decision processes are totally understood and applicable for all the referees in all the different incidents.”
The level of detail and intensity left an impression on the referees, as did the environment and commitment to camaraderie. There was a World Cup feel in the Rio air, even though kick-off is 15 months away. “No better place to train, to feel the environment, the atmosphere amongst my colleagues from Concacaf and CONMEBOL, to be on the same page,” said Koroleva, who has officiated at multiple FIFA events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. That methodology, Koroleva said, is anchored by the mental and physical preparation required to referee a “fast game” played by “elite athletes”. Theoretical discussions focused on decision consistency, learning team tactics and how different countries approach the game, as well as the “mental glue” necessary to handle the World Cup match-day energy and atmosphere.
“The seminar is a great opportunity to be here with FIFA, especially in an iconic place for football like Brazil. But it’s (also) a great opportunity to showcase our skills, work with other referees, and to be selected amongst the best in FIFA and Concacaf and CONMEBOL,” said Carly Shaw-MacLaren, a Canadian who refereed at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024. “It’s a very physically intensive week,” she continued. “And then, obviously, match performance is very important while we’re here, and then also technical sessions. So, we’re learning a lot in education sessions on new trends in football, and specific topics.”
Venezuela’s Emikar Calderas, who worked matches at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, said it was a “huge honour and feeling of responsibility” to participate in the seminar. “It represents an important step in my career as a referee. It’s also because I’m here with high-level instructors in order to improve my knowledge, spend time with different referees and reach my peak as a referee,” Calderas said. She echoed similar comments made by her colleagues when she said, “It would be a dream come true to represent my country in this high-level tournament and show all of my sacrifice, dedication and discipline.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 will be an unprecedented showcase for the women’s game and a testament to its exponential growth. It will also represent the tournament’s first staging in Latin America, a passionate football hotspot ready to embrace the excitement. Brazil will be the perfect backdrop, and while players around the world long to perform on that stage, so do match officials. “Every day we work hard, and I am motivated to be better than yesterday, to do something more, and to prepare, just like the athletes, to be a part of this memorable event that will, without a doubt, be historical here in Brazil,” Koroleva said. “I want to be a part of that show, to create this atmosphere for the world, for history.”
