Trans Women Banned From Competing in Women’s Soccer in England

Transgender women will be barred from playing for women’s soccer teams in England from June 1, the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in the country, said.

In a statement, the Football Association, known as the F.A., said that it had changed its policy as a result of a Supreme Court ruling last month, which said that Britain’s equality laws were based on “biological sex” and that trans women did not fall within the legal definition of women.

The F.A. is the latest body to update its policies as a result of the judgment, which all public and private bodies in Britain must now incorporate into internal practice on single-sex services and spaces.

The association said that the Supreme Court’s ruling required it to change, meaning that “transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England.” The ban covers amateur soccer and regional leagues that are governed by the F.A., as well as the professional 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 association added.

Other sporting bodies are in the process of developing policies resulting from the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Scottish Football Association has also announced that from the start of the 2025-26 season, “only biological females will be permitted to play in competitive girls’ and women’s football.”