When Mauritian match official Queency Victoire gave birth to her first child in 2020, she worried about her chances of getting back into the game. “As a woman, you are scared of coming back. You’re not sure how it’s going to go, what’s going to happen, and so on,” she said. But there was no need for concern. Three years later, she was selected as one of the match officials at the FIFA World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. Since then, she has given birth to her second child and, having again resumed her career, is one of the assistant referees at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026™ in Morocco.

Victoire said she has been well supported all along and had never felt pressured to return to the pitch, instead being encouraged to come back in her own time. “We’re asked how things are going and so on, so in my opinion, the support we’ve had from FIFA has really helped us. So, mentally, psychologically, and physically, everything really helps us as female referees,” she said. FIFA has enhanced its support for international female match officials by offering opportunities to balance motherhood with their career, and FIFA Head of Women's Refereeing Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb has emphasised that it is perfectly possible to be a FIFA World Cup referee and a mother.

Steinhaus-Webb said that, for match officials, support was based on several key principles. "We understand that every pregnancy journey is different and in all cases we aim to give them peace of mind. We work with Member Associations to keep match officials on the FIFA list during pregnancy and to avoid a premature return to training or competitions,” she said. “We also support them with individual and flexible training and access to medical resources. Parental support is provided through an accompanying person at FIFA events and family-friendly accommodation and travel arrangements. In addition, suitable in-stadium and pumping facilities fully dedicated to nursing mothers, known as quiet rooms, will be provided at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027."

Canadian Myriam Marcotte officiated at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ in Poland after giving birth to her second child last year. A FIFA referee since 2019, like Victoire, she dreams of being selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™. Marcotte explained how being invited to the FIFA Women’s Elite Referee Seminar for Concacaf officials in Costa Rica in February 2025, when she was seven months pregnant, was a timely reminder that she was still part of Team One.

“The fact that I was so quickly involved in that seminar felt to me like, ‘Okay, I still have my chance. I can still continue the process. I can still come back.’ Just being with all the other referees in that seminar felt like I was not so far away from them,” she said. “To know that you are not going to be replaced while you are away for a certain amount of time, knowing that people still care about you and invite you to competitions or events even though you’re pregnant.” Ensuring that match officials such as Marcotte participate in events is a key part of the support they receive during pregnancy. Match officials are given frequent medical check-ups and well-being check-ins through established communication lines between the athlete and performance team (technical and physical). They are guided through a modified training programme and are made aware of pregnancy-related changes in recovery and nutrition. Fatigue, recovery, hydration and nutritional intake are all monitored throughout pregnancy.

After birth, FIFA supports a medical review and postpartum pelvic health physiotherapy. Officials are provided with a structured “back to field” training programme – adjusting gradually from gentle mobility through strength, pelvic floor function, core control to aerobic fitness and speed all the way to match-readiness. Sleep and feeding choices are supported as they return progressively to match duties. Steinhaus-Webb stressed that match officials could choose what feels best for them when it comes to parental support. “If they prefer to leave their kids at home within their home structures, that’s fine. And if they prefer to bring their kids, it’s also fine,” she said.

“The kids being around at the events bring a real positive vibe to the group. Their smiles are infectious and they are vital for the social bonding that goes so much more easily through their eyes. They are growing up with us; we are part of their upbringing as well. And the support persons who are travelling with the match officials have been brilliant so far. Being present, supportive, interactive without intruding. This can’t be underestimated.” FIFA’s support is particularly important for those aiming to officiate at a FIFA Women's World Cup™. “I think that when we look at the future and what it means, that potentially people will have babies when it’s right for them, rather than the right timing for the international break that you need between (FIFA Women’s) World Cup cycles,” said Australia’s Lara Lee. “In doing that, that may risk maybe never having a child. So, I think that it’s really important that being really open gives you more opportunities, now more than ever.”

Lee gave birth to her daughter Kingsley two years ago and is also refereeing at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026, and like Victoire and Marcotte, hopes to be called up for Brazil next year. “I was a little bit afraid that maybe I’d have to take time off until she was a certain age to ensure that I was able to be the mother as well as a referee,” said Lee, whose concerns were allayed by FIFA’s support. “It was about having an open line of communication, being very honest about every step and enjoying the moment with my daughter. That’s the biggest thing.” Her message to other referees is that they can combine their careers with motherhood. “I think it’s really important to know that people don’t have to choose any more. Instead, they get to choose how they want to do it. Because now, I can be a mother, a referee, a daughter and Lara all in one. I don’t have to worry about,” she said. “I think that it’s really important that being really open gives you more opportunities, now more than ever. And I am so, so thankful to FIFA in how they have supported the whole process.“