Dr. Suzanne Huurman is the only female chief doctor at the 2026 World Cup. The 36-year-old from the Netherlands is working for Curacao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup and Germany's opponents in the first round of games.
Other than Dr. Silja Schwarz, who has been a doctor (but not the lead one) for Germany's men side for the last three years, Huurman is the only female doctor at the entire tournament. In the history of the competition, Huurman is just the third woman ever to be any kind of doctor for a team at the World Cup.
The reasons for this are varied, but most connected to the male dominance of the football industry.
"It's not because there are not good female doctors, because at medical school 70% to 80% were women in the classroom. When you go to elite sports medicine it's getting less and less, especially in male sports medicine. It's a real male dominated culture still," Huurman told DW.
"You really have to prove yourself. It takes more time before they accept you, before they see. It's all about proving your quality, showing you're there to do everything the best you can to support them and their health. But it is difficult because there are a lot of barriers you have to face, a lot of prejudices. They say: 'No, you cannot work here because you are a female and we don't want a female in a male squad.' I've heard it a million times. You just have to prove yourself, keep going and don't give up because someone tells you no."
