In 2026, in an effort to accelerate change, Fifa introduced new rules, external for women’s tournaments. The regulations state at least one member of medical staff must be female and at least one coach must be a woman.
At the match between Curacao and Germany, for the first time in men’s World Cup history, there was an all-female, external medical team – Fifa match doctor Dr Emma Lunan, Curacao head of medical Dr Suzanne Huurman, Germany team doctor Dr Silja Schwarz, emergency medicine doctor Dr Carrie Bakunas and Dr Kerry Peek, the injury spotter.
Dr Lunan told Fifa: “Hopefully this is a springboard to show that expertise in sports medicine and performance medicine is not dependent on your sex or gender and the opportunities to progress can be based on your competence.”
Dr Huurman thinks the new regulations are positive.
“When I started with Real Madrid in 2020, I worked with the women’s team and after that I switched to the men’s. When they started the women’s team, all the staff except me were male,” she said.
When asked how football could improve, Dr Huurman suggested considering agile-working options.
“I know countries like Sweden have a rotating system with different doctors – week one, one doctor, week two, a different doctor and so on. This flexible-working approach might suit female doctors better, although elite sport is not used to it yet – they are used to having one permanent doctor with one team.”
For women who are told no, Dr Huurman urged females to prove themselves: “I heard it a million times – you cannot do this because you’re a woman – especially in professional football.
“But if you prove your quality and you’re a good professional, you can do it. “
Known as the Blue Wave, Curacao made history last Sunday when they scored their first-ever World Cup goal against Germany in Houston.
However, their celebrations were short-lived, as the four-time winners cruised to a 7-1 win.
Curacao will look to increase their goal tally against Ecuador and Ivory Coast in their remaining group games, and Huurman says the squad remains upbeat.
“We are optimistic for our next two games,” she added. “They’re happy, they’re focused. I saw Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde, so you never know.”
