Since 2020, FIFA has taken concrete measures to further improve its regulatory framework to promote the protection of female players and coaches. In that respect, FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players have been adapted to address key elements such as maternity, adoption and family leave benefits, basic rights and options for players who become pregnant, breastfeeding, menstrual health, special registration rules and support for national-team players and their families.

“The protection of female players and coaches has been a key component of the continuous modernisation of FIFA’s regulatory framework. While there is still much work to be done, we are proud of the significant strides taken since 2020. The milestones reached over the past four years reaffirm FIFA’s commitment to the well-being of female players and coaches, as well as its constant willingness to adjust its regulations for the benefit of football as a whole,” said FIFA Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Emilio García Silvero. “Above all, we are talking about concrete measures that have a positive impact on the daily lives of players and coaches all across the world. The recent changes to the regulations are, actually, a follow-up from some monumental decisions that we made back in March 2023, where we put in place what we call minimum standards around important topics like maternity leave, to protect players who are starting a family, and we’re going that one step further now," commented the FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman. An overview of the key milestones of FIFA’s regulatory framework for the protection of female players and coaches is available here.