Kateryna Monzul will make history as the first woman to referee an England men’s match in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
The Ukrainian will take charge at Andorra’s Estadi Nacional, with compatriots Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko as assistant referees making it an all-women team of on-pitch officials.
French referee Stephanie Frappart – the first woman to officiate at a men’s European Championships and Champions League game – will be the VAR.
The fourth official and assistant VAR roles will be filled by two men – Ukrainians Denys Shurman and Viktor Matyash.
Who is Kateryna Monzul?
Monzul was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and became a Fifa listed referee in 2004.
Since her international debut in a 2007 Women’s World Cup qualifier, Monzul has established herself on the international stage having refereed at four Women’s World Cups – including the 2015 World Cup final.
In 2016 she made history in becoming the first woman referee in the men’s Ukrainian Premier League and was awarded the league’s best referee in 2020.
That same year she was part of the first all-women refereeing team to officiate a senior men’s international when San Marino faced Gibraltar in the 2020 Nations League.
She also refereed Austria’s 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over the Faroe Islands in March.
An ‘important moment for gender equality’
When asked about Monzul taking charge of Saturday’s qualifier, Gareth Southgate said: “It’s a very important moment for gender equality.”
“It’s the quality of the official that’s important, not the gender, so we’re looking forward to being part of a special occasion.”
Speaking back in March, Fifa’s referees committee chairman Pierluigi Collina said: “Fifa will continue to champion the development of female refereeing and I’m confident that the appointment of female match officials to men’s games will be absolutely commonplace in the future.”
