The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is set to introduce a ban preventing transgender women from playing in women’s football, making it one of the most decisive moves in UK sport regarding gender eligibility.
Under the new policy, only players who were assigned female at birth will be permitted to participate in women’s football from the age of 13 and above.
The updated rules will come into effect next season and place Scotland ahead of FIFA, which has been reviewing its gender eligibility criteria for over three years without issuing a final decision.
The SFA’s move follows a recent UK Supreme Court ruling that legally defines the term female based on biological sex. This judgement has led to wider policy changes across UK sports bodies and is influencing football regulations across the country.
The new guidelines bring Scottish football in line with other sports that have introduced broad bans on transgender women, including athletics, cricket, and rugby.
The decision is expected to impact grassroots and youth football most significantly, as there are currently no transgender women known to be playing professionally in either England or Scotland.
In contrast, the Football Association (FA) in England continues to assess eligibility on a case-by-case basis. While transgender women are allowed to apply for inclusion in the women’s game, approval is subject to medical criteria, such as maintaining blood testosterone levels below a set threshold.
The FA retains the right to block participation if concerns arise around player safety or competitive fairness.
Recent data suggests that only around 20 transgender women are currently participating in grassroots football in England.
The debate around inclusion in sport remains ongoing, with some groups expressing concern that blanket bans risk excluding and marginalising transgender individuals, particularly at amateur levels where participation is often key to mental and physical wellbeing.
The SFA has not yet issued a detailed public statement outlining the enforcement or appeals process for the new rules, but the decision marks a significant turning point in how gender and eligibility are handled in Scottish sport.
