England Women's boss Sarina Wiegman has clear feelings on accepting job in men's game

Sarina Wiegman has no plans to transition into the men's game, despite solidifying her legacy as one of the most accomplished figures in women's football. The 55-year-old led the Lionesses to their second European Championship title on Sunday, as England edged past Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout in the final in Basel.

Wiegman – the only coach, male or female, to have reached the final in all five major competitions she's managed in – has regularly been linked with a possible move to men's football. Nevertheless, the Dutch coach has consistently reaffirmed her commitment to her current role.

"My thoughts now are totally not in men's football, my thoughts are with the women's game and what we can do," she said back in 2023. "I am just really happy in the role I work in now and I am really enjoying it... I really love my job for the FA and with England. This is the highest level."

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That said, she has predicted that a woman taking charge of a prominent men's side is inevitable. "I think it is a matter of time and I think when the first one [takes a high-profile men's job], it will be really big - but I think then more will follow," Wiegman told the BBC.

"I think it will happen, I'm not sure how long it will take but I think it would be good. I think it's a matter of time and that comes with the development of the game.

"When I was a little kid I was not allowed to play football as a girl. But now everyone says: 'Oh why not?' Hopefully in 20 years we say: 'Why did we think females couldn't coach males?' Hopefully that will change quickly.

"Women are everywhere, women are head of countries and in business too. The balance of women in high-ranked positions, that should be a little more balanced between men and women. In football, we're not used to having women coaching men at the highest level."

For the time being, however, Wiegman appears unlikely to become the first major female figure to step into the men's arena, especially in light of recent remarks from FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. "She's not for sale at any price," he said ahead of the Euros final on Sunday.

"When I spoke to [the media] before the tournament I said we were lucky to have her and I still feel that way. I think she has been incredible. She's a really special coach and we're delighted to have her with us.

"We are committed to her until 2027 and she is committed to us. We have a new [coaching] team coming in for her. We haven't quite started working on the plans for [the 2027 World Cup] but I know her focus, hopefully after success on Sunday, will shift quite quickly to that."

While female coaches have begun to break into the men's ranks in nations such as Italy, France, and Germany, such opportunities in the UK remain limited. To date, Hannah Dingley is the only woman to have managed a men's team in Britain - and even then, only temporarily - when she served as interim boss of Forest Green Rovers in 2023.

Globally, just one woman has ever held a head coach role in a top-tier men's league: Helen Nkwocha, who was appointed caretaker manager at Tvoroyrar Boltfelag in the Faroe Islands Premier League in 2021.

Wiegman assumed the reins of the Lionesses in 2021 following an impressive run with the Netherlands, where she captured the 2017 European title and led the team to a runner-up finish in the 2019 World Cup. Her early achievements with England mirrored that success, winning the 2022 Euros before narrowly missing out in the 2023 World Cup final.

Following England's victory at the 2025 Euros, Wiegman has now become just the second manager in the history of the women’s game to claim three major international trophies, joining Germany's Tina Theune, who steered her nation to a trio of European titles from 1997 to 2005.

Wiegman previously spent a brief period on the coaching staff of Dutch men's club Sparta Rotterdam in 2016 and was among those speculated to succeed Gareth Southgate after he stepped down as England men's manager post-Euro 2024. Ultimately, the FA selected former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for the role.

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