Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football from June 1, 2025, England’s governing Football Association announced on Thursday, May 1. The FA said it had updated its policy following last month’s UK Supreme Court ruling regarding the Equality Act. The Scottish Football Association said Thursday it would also implement a similar ban from the start of its 2025/26 season as well. These new rulings will apply to all women’s football at amateur and professional levels in both countries.
The English FA’s transgender inclusion policy had been updated just before the Supreme Court ruling and continued to allow transgender women to play in women’s football, provided they reduced testosterone levels. Those rule changes gave the FA discretion on whether to allow a trans woman to play, with consideration given to issues of safety and fairness. Now, though, the FA has redrawn its policy and barred transgender women from the women’s game.
“We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game,” the FA said in a statement.
In a separate announcement, the SFA said: “As a gender-affected sport, the Scottish FA board has determined that from the start of season 2025/26 only biological females will be permitted to play in competitive girls’ and women’s football, which is governed by the Scottish FA. “Under the Scottish FA player journey, players move to competitive football at Under-13 level.”
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