Stéphanie Frappart, a French referee with a trailblazing career, has been appointed to officiate the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final between England and Spain. The highly anticipated match will take place on Sunday, July 27, at St. Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
Frappart, 41, has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2009, marking over a decade of experience at the international level. Throughout her distinguished career, she has taken charge of 111 UEFA matches. In this Euro 2025 tournament, she has already officiated two group stage matches and the quarter-final between Norway and Italy.
Her journey in football began at a young age. She grew up in Herblay-sur-Seine and started refereeing youth games when she was 13. By 18, she was already officiating national U-19 games. Frappart's career steadily progressed as she gained experience and broke barriers in the sport. In 2011, she began refereeing matches in the Championnat National, the third division of men's football in France. In 2014, she became the first woman to referee in Ligue 2, the second tier of professional men's football in France.
Frappart's list of firsts continued in 2019 when she became the first woman to referee a major men's European match and a French Ligue 1 match. In 2020, she became the first woman to officiate a UEFA Champions League match. A year later, she was the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup qualifying match. In 2022, Frappart was selected as one of three women referees to officiate at the men's World Cup, and she ultimately became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match with an all-female referee team.
Reflecting on her appointment to the Euro 2025 final, Frappart expressed her gratitude and pride. "I'm very pleased to have been selected to referee the Women's EURO final," she said. "It's a big honour and a proud moment at the end of a wonderful tournament."
UEFA Refereeing Director, Roberto Rosetti, praised Frappart's professionalism and conduct. "Stéphanie Frappart deserves this appointment, as she is a role model for the young generation of female referees due to her professionalism and attitude on and off the pitch," he stated.
Frappart will be assisted by Camille Soriano (France) and Francesca di Monte (Italy), with Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (Italy) serving as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be handled by Willy Delajod (France), supported by Christian Dingert (Germany) and Dennis Higler (Netherlands).
The Euro 2025 final is a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, where Spain defeated England 1-0. England, the reigning European champions, will be seeking revenge against the current world champions. Both teams have had dramatic runs to the final, with England securing late wins in their quarter-final and semi-final matches.