Dr Suzanne Huurman Becomes 2026 World Cup's Only Female Men's Team Doctor
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 20
Dr Suzanne Huurman Becomes 2026 World Cup's Only Female Men's Team Doctor
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 20
Summary
Curacao's Dr Suzanne Huurman is the only female head of medical staff among 48 men's teams at the 2026 World Cup, making her just the third woman to hold such a role in the tournament's 96-year history.
Huurman, who previously worked with Real Madrid, PSV and the Netherlands at Paris 2024, said football's 24/7 travel demands and family-care pressures help explain why so few women reach elite men's team doctor roles.
Curacao's 49-person travelling party is otherwise entirely male, underscoring the imbalance Huurman says women still face even when medical training itself is often female-majority.
Fifa has introduced rules for women's tournaments requiring at least one female medic and one female coach, and Curacao's game against Germany also featured the men's World Cup's first all-female external medical lineup.
The milestone comes as Curacao — a nation of about 158,000 people that qualified unbeaten — continues its debut campaign after scoring its first World Cup goal in a 7-1 loss to Germany.