Dr Suzanne Huurman stands alone among 47 male counterparts as the sole female head of medical staff at the 2026 men’s World Cup.
The Brazil-born doctor serves as head of medical staff for Curacao’s national men’s side, making her only the third-ever female team doctor in the tournament’s 96-year history.
Dr Celeste Geertsema became the first female doctor for a participating men’s team at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, working with New Zealand’s national side.
Dr Silja Schwarz has served as a team doctor for the Germany men’s side since 2023, representing only the second such appointment before Huurman’s role with Curacao.
When Fifa informed Dr Huurman she was the only female head of medical staff at the tournament, she admitted the significance did not immediately register with her.
“I didn’t realise in the beginning because it’s so normal to be the only, or one of the few, women in the room,” she said.
Huurman has an impressive career background, having worked with Real Madrid, Go Ahead Eagles and PSV Eindhoven, as well as serving as medical lead for the Netherlands Under-16 boys team.
Curacao, a Caribbean island of approximately 158,000 people and part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, qualified for the 2026 World Cup unbeaten with seven wins and three draws.
The doctor travels as the only woman among a 49-person delegation of players and staff, working within a federation she describes as historically entirely male at every level.
“If you show them you’re capable and you’re good at what you do, then it’s easy that they accept you because it’s about quality and performing,” she said.
Despite that openness, Huurman acknowledges that breaking into the field still carries significant hurdles for women entering elite sports medicine.
“But you have to prove yourself. It’s hard to get in because in the beginning you always have a lot of people that say no, this cannot be possible,” she added.
Huurman studied medicine in the Netherlands in 2008 and found her sports medicine speciality in 2014 represented a sharp shift in gender balance.
“When I studied medicine, it was around 70-75% women and the rest were men,” she said, noting the figure dropped to just 20-30% women in sports medicine.
She identifies the relentless demands of elite football as a structural barrier that disproportionately affects women considering careers in the field.
“It’s not only your capabilities — if you’re a good professional that’s one thing, but it’s the travel, the lifestyle which can affect your personal life,” she explained.
Huurman pointed to pregnancy and family responsibilities as practical obstacles that are particularly difficult to navigate within the rhythms of a professional football season.
“It’s not only in football, but the whole elite sports world, which is demanding 24/7,” she said.
In 2026, Fifa introduced new rules for women’s tournaments requiring at least one female member of medical staff and at least one female coach per squad.
At the group stage match between Curacao and Germany, all five pitch-side medical personnel were women, marking the first all-female medical team in men’s World Cup history.
Dr Emma Lunan, the Fifa match doctor present that day, said: “Hopefully this is a springboard to show that expertise in sports medicine and performance medicine is not dependent on your sex or gender.”
Huurman suggested that flexible working arrangements, similar to Sweden’s rotating doctor system, could help attract and retain more female medical professionals in football.
“This flexible-working approach might suit female doctors better, although elite sport is not used to it yet — they are used to having one permanent doctor with one team,” she said.
Curacao, known as the Blue Wave, made history by scoring their first-ever World Cup goal against Germany in Houston, though they ultimately suffered a 7-1 defeat to the four-time winners.
Despite the heavy loss, Huurman says the squad remains in good spirits and focused ahead of their remaining group games against Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
“We are optimistic for our next two games,” she said. “They’re happy, they’re focused. I saw Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde, so you never know.”
For women facing rejection in male-dominated sporting environments, Huurman’s message is clear and direct, drawn from her own repeated experience.
“I heard it a million times — you cannot do this because you’re a woman — especially in professional football. But if you prove your quality and you’re a good professional, you can do it.”
