First woman to referee a Primeira Liga match
This Saturday, Catarina Campos will becomes first woman to officiate a Portuguese Primeira Liga football match.
History will be made in Portuguese football this Saturday as Catarina Campos becomes the first woman to officiate a match in the Primeira Liga.
The 39-year-old referee has been appointed to oversee the clash between Casa Pia and Rio Ave in Rio Maior, marking a significant milestone in the country’s football history.
Campos, who made her debut as a chief referee in the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) in February, officiated a match between Paços de Ferreira and Feirense in the Segunda Liga.
Now, she will take a major step forward, leading the officiating team in a top-tier league match for the first time.
Impressive resume
A native of Viseu, Campos has been an international referee since 2018 and has been part of UEFA’s elite category for the past year and a half.
She initially pursued a career in journalism after studying Social Communication at the Escola Superior de Educação de Viseu but later found her calling in refereeing.
She moved to Lisbon and, in 2008, completed a refereeing course with the Lisbon Football Association at the age of 23.
Her journey started with officiating youth matches in the Lisbon district leagues before she gradually progressed to higher levels of the game.
Campos’ impressive resume includes officiating matches in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of Portuguese football, as well as the Liga Revelação, both under the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
She has also officiated international fixtures, including matches in the UEFA Youth League.
Additionally, she is a regular choice for officiating in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and in qualification rounds for the European Championship and the FIFA Women's World Cup.
One of the highlights of her career was refereeing the 2023-24 Women’s Portuguese Cup final between Benfica and Racing Power.
She also played a crucial role in a UEFA Euro 2025 qualifier, a competition she hopes to be part of in the future.
Campos has experience officiating men’s matches at national and international levels, having served as a referee and a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in both the Primeira and Segunda Liga, as well as in European competitions such as the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League.
Breakthrough moment
Her appointment to Saturday’s match has been widely recognized as a breakthrough moment, following in the footsteps of assistant referee Andreia Sousa, who became the first female assistant referee in the Primeira Liga in August 2023 during a match between Rio Ave and Desportivo de Chaves.
Unlike Sousa, however, Campos will lead the refereeing team on the pitch, setting a new precedent in Portuguese football.
Campos has also made history in other ways. She was the first referee to issue a white card in professional football during a Portuguese Women’s Cup match between Benfica and Sporting.
The white card, an initiative by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, promotes fair play and was used when medical teams from both clubs assisted a fan in distress.
For Campos, stepping onto the field to officiate a men’s professional match is undoubtedly a historic achievement. But for someone who left her hometown to chase a dream in the capital—only to find a different calling—it is just another step in an already remarkable career.