Rugby: 32% of coaches at the Women's World Cup 2025 will be women, compared with 15% in 2022

32% of the coaches (23) at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, organised in England, are women, compared with 15% (6) at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in New Zealand in 2022), according to World Rugby on 19/08/2025. This edition of the tournament will be contested by 16 teams, compared with 12 in 2022.

"For the first time in Women’s Rugby World Cup history, three female head coaches will take the helm of national teams: France, Australia, and Japan. This compares with one (Japan) in 2021," explained the International Federation.

Of the 281 coaching staff from the 16 participating federations, 40% are women.

"The progress in women’s rugby coaching stands out in the wider sporting landscape. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, women represented roughly 13% of all coaches, echoing the figure from Tokyo 2020. The recent UEFA Women's European Championship 2025 leads the way, with 43.75% female coaches - a seismic leap from just 18.75% in 2013," said World Rugby, which uses its Gallagher High Performance Academy to support the training of female coaches, 14 of whom hold positions…