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As the world’s biggest sporting event takes centre stage this summer, women are driving the action like never before, making real impact both on and off the pitch. To celebrate this year's tournament, Women in Football is proud to launch a new spotlight series championing some of the extraordinary women shaping the FIFA World Cup 2026. From elite broadcasters to tournament legacy managers, the career opportunities within the game are vast. Join us as we go behind the scenes to explore these vital roles and the incredible influence these women hold.

Stay tuned to this page as we'll be continually adding new names throughout the tournament.

 

Faye Carruthers

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Faye Carruthers is serving as the on-the-ground England Correspondent for talkSPORT. She is fully embedded inside Thomas Tuchel's England camp across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, delivering live pitchside reporting, breaking news, and direct interviews with the players and coaching staff. Some of Faye's responsibilities include:

• Pitchside reporting: Offering real-time updates and tactical observations directly from the touchline

• Press conferences and interviews: talkSPORT's primary interviewer for Thomas Tuchel and the England squad

• Audio content: Featuring on the network's World Cup Daily podcast

• Digital coverage: Providing video logs and updates charting the journey across the host nations

What is your role at the tournament? ⁠I am talkSPORT’s England Correspondent, so I cover all the news from inside the England camp and interview the players. On matchdays I am pitchside behind the goal providing inserts into our coverage and conducting the post match interviews with Thomas Tuchel and the players in the tunnel. I'll be following England wherever they go, so I'm based in Florida first, then Kansas where the base camp is, and then travelling to the games all the way (hopefully!) to the final.

What are you most excited to see? I'm excited to watch England walk out for their first match in Dallas. In terms of player highlights, there are too many amazing players to just pick one. I’m most looking forward to seeing them all shine.

Where are you ⁠most excited to visit? Mexico City and the Azteca Stadium. If England top their group, this would be the venue for their L16 match and potentially against hosts Mexico. Going to the stadium where Maradona scored his hand of god goal against England is bucket list!

Winner prediction? ⁠England – because why not? They have a balanced squad of winners with Harry Kane leading the line.

How long have you been a WIF member? ⁠I’ve been a proud WIF member since 2012!

What inspired you to join WIF? Through meeting other members who encouraged me to join. I thank them wholeheartedly because I found an incredible support network of people who have become friends and who genuinely care about the direction of the game.

How has being a member supported your development? ⁠It’s helped my confidence and belief and after taking part in one of the first Leadership Programmes, it’s opened my eyes to many other opportunities in football that compliment my broadcasting career and challenge me as a person and leader. I’m about to complete an MBA in Football Industries at the University of Liverpool because of the encouragement and support from Jane Purdon and Sue Bridgewater who supported me winning a WIF scholarship to study.

Why would you recommend someone to become a WIF member? For all the above reasons I would recommend people to become a member of WIF. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone, opened doors I thought would be closed and given me a sense of belonging and hunger to continue making positive change.

 

Helen Dapré

As Content Editor at BBC Sport, Helen leads the editorial direction for live football broadcasts at major tournaments, managing everything from high-pressure multi-game schedules to pre-match build-ups. Working directly with production teams in the US and a diverse roster presenters and pundits, it is a fast-paced, highly collaborative role.

What is your role at the tournament? I am a Content Editor, also known to most as a Programme Producer, for the BBC TV content. I look after some of the live games along with a couple of others.

I am responsible for the editorial content of the programmes. Working alongside the presenter and pundits, I decide which features to include, get their input around analysis, live reactions, and what things you want from your content from your teams out in the US.

It’s a varied role. I work with a host of pundits – some regularly on Final Score and Match of the Day, and others who are new. This brings unique challenges, especially when working with people who have never met and need to find their chemistry.

It's an interesting role. You meet some great people, hear some fascinating stories, and learn more about them. My day-to-day involves planning those features. It's quite a busy tournament with all the extra games. At one point, I had six live programmes in eight days. That is a lot when you have to plan a half-hour build-up for each.

Winner prediction? My prediction for the winner is France. I just think they have these incredible players with a sprinkling of stardust that can just produce magic. I also think they're all being driven by the fact it's Didier Deschamps' last tournament. So, they really have an added motivation and something driving them together as a team.

How long have you been a WIF member? I’ve been a WIF member since the very first meeting 20 years ago at Upton Park, which I attended with Jo Tongue and some others. Back then, I felt like there were quite a few of us around. Although I wasn't working exclusively in football at the time, I have been in the industry since I was 18, starting as a steward at Spurs when I couldn't afford my season ticket as a student. Because of that, I felt like I'd been a 'woman in football' well before my current career began.

What inspired you to join WIF? It sounded like an interesting initiative to get involved with. I noticed many people wanted to present or report on football, whereas I wanted to champion those in 'unseen roles'.
How has being a member supported your development?

There's one person I toured with 30-odd years ago who I saw for a beer not that long ago, and we're still friends to this day. Football becomes a uniting factor. Thanks to WIF, my network has grown alongside my career. You see people coming through with different challenges, and the number of distinct roles is so much greater as well.

The sporting world is actually quite small; you meet people and then cross paths again in other circumstances. I was in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics when I met a guy who was the broadcast venue manager for the road cycling. He offered us incredible help. Two years later, I turned up pitch-side at the World Cup, walked down the touchline, and he ran over to give me a big hug. You just can't buy those kinds of relationships and connections.

Make an effort to talk to, meet, and be nice to people as you move up the food chain. You never know who you will encounter again. In this industry particularly, teamwork is crucial. You have to be able to help each other out, and if you don't, you will really stick out.

Why would you recommend someone to become a WIF member? I tell people that WIF is a network you need to use and put effort into, but it can be really rewarding. You never know who you might meet – I’ve been good friends with people like Yvonne Harrison, Jo Tongue, and Gabby Logan for years. WIF is a tight network, and lots of people you wouldn't think know each other actually do. Use it to your benefit, but be mindful of how you treat people. It’s a small world, and as women in the industry, we should really be supporting and promoting each other.

 

Lianne Sanderson

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, former England Lionesses forward Lianne Sanderson is serving as an official studio pundit and match analyst for beIN SPORTS. This marks her third major tournament working with the network's global English-language broadcast squad. Some of Lianne's responsibilities include:

• Studio punditry: Providing live, tactical pre-match, half-time, and post-match analysis

• Expert analysis: Leveraging her perspective as a former international player

• High-profile panelist: Featuring on premium panel segments alongside other high-profile hosts and legends

• Dynamic insights: Heavily involved in analyzing World Cup matches

What is your role at the tournament? ⁠Pundit for BeIN SPORTS in Doha, Qatar.

What are you most excited to see? The player I am most excited to see is Cristiano Ronaldo, while the team is France.

Where are you ⁠most excited to visit? I'm based in Doha for the tournament but my favourite stadiums at the tournament are SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Lumen Field in Seattle.

Winner prediction? France because they have the best squad and quality in my opinion, unbelievable depth.

⁠How long have you been a WIF member? For as long as I can remember. Since the very beginning when Jo Tongue and Jacqui Oatley first got involved.

What inspired you to join WIF? It felt like a no brainer. I love going to the events and I’ve also hosted several events. There are so many inspiring people and stories in the room.

What is your standout moment as a WIF member? Hosting the recent event at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium for the inaugral FIFA Women's Champions Cup.

Why would you recommend someone to become a WIF member? Because it’s a place where you feel supported, it’s an inspiring space and everyone is welcome. There are a lot of bad ass women in the room that want other women to be elevated.

 

Other articles worth checking out

• Fox host Rebecca Lowe: Anchoring America’s World Cup coverage is ‘the pinnacle of my life’
  The Athletic's Adam Crafton speaks to long-term Women in Football member, Rebecca Fox, who is serving as a lead studio host for FOX Sports during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

• Curacao's trailblazer doctor on football's big stage
  BBC Sport senior journalist, Sally Feedman, pens a wonderful article about Dr Suzanne Huurman. She is only the third-ever female team doctor in the 96-year history of the tournament as head of medical staff for Curacao's national men's side - the World Cup's smallest-ever team by population and size.

• History made as FIFA World Cup 2026™ match features all-female medical team
  The on-field-of-play medical team of FIFA Match Doctor Dr Emma Lunan, Curaçao Team Doctor Dr Suzanne Huurman, Germany Team Doctor Dr Silja Schwarz and Emergency Medicine Doctor Dr Carrie Bakunas, as well as Dr Kerry Peek, the injury spotter, all made history in Houston on June 14.

• The Scot trailblazer changing world football
  BBC Scotland follows Scot Pip Penman of Women in Soccer, who has swapped Kirkcaldy for New York to make a difference.

• Women Behind Fútbol: These women are shaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Through a series of interviews with NBC and Telemundo, we learned more about the women – behind the scenes and in front of the camera – who are making the World Cup special.

 

Photogtaphy credits: Nixon Wong, Lianne Sanderson. Icon credit: <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/soccer" title="soccer icons">Soccer icons created by Freepik - Flaticon</a>.

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