Frappart Makes History As First Woman To Referee A Men’s UCL Match

Stephanie Frappart has made history in Ligue 1, the UEFA Super Cup and now the UEFA Champions League.
December 2, 2020

Stephanie Frappart became the first female referee to officiate a men’s UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday, taking charge of the Juventus-Dynamo Kyiv game in Turin. 

Frappart is a well-known name in the officiating world. She ref’d the 2019 Women’s World Cup final in which the USWNT beat the Netherlands 2-0. Later that year, she called the UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea. Additionally, Frappart became the first woman to officiate a Ligue 1 match last April in a game between Amiens and Strasbourg. In October, Frappart officiated a Europa League match between Leicester City and Zorya Luhansk. 

Frappart wasn’t the first woman to take officiate a UEFA men’s match. That honor went to Nicole Petignat, who called three UEFA Cup qualifying matches from 2004-2009. 

Frappart oversaw a match Wednesday that Juventus, which had already qualified for the knockout rounds, took a 3-0 lead over Dynamo in the first 75 minutes. American Weston McKennie started for the Italian giants.