Suzanne Huurman’s Curacao role highlights football’s medical gender gap

Dr Suzanne Huurman is Curacao’s head of medical staff at the men’s 2026 World Cup, where she is the only woman in that role among the participating teams. Her position is especially notable because Curacao are also the tournament’s smallest team by population and size.

The BBC report frames Huurman’s presence as both a personal milestone and a sign of how far football still has to go. She has worked across club, international and multi-sport settings, including Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Go Ahead Eagles, Netherlands Under-16 boys and the Dutch women’s handball team.

Curacao’s World Cup story already carries historic weight: the Caribbean side qualified unbeaten and scored their first World Cup goal against Germany in Houston, though they lost 7-1. Their remaining group matches against Ecuador and Ivory Coast give the squad further chances to build on that breakthrough moment.

Huurman’s comments point to structural issues rather than a lack of ability, with travel, family pressures and the constant demands of elite sport all cited as barriers for women entering or staying in football medical roles. Her suggested answer is more flexible staffing, including rotating medical teams, while the broader debate is whether football is ready to change long-standing working patterns.