A footballing legend has joined the leadership line-up for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™. Aline Pellegrino, former captain of the Brazilian national team, FIFA Women’s World Cup™ runner-up in 2007 and Olympic silver medallist in Athens in 2004, has been appointed Executive Director of Legacy and Stakeholder Affairs at FIFA27. “Throughout my career as a player and manager, I have faced challenges that have only served to strengthen my belief that sport can inspire transformation,” said Pellegrino. “Contributing to the impact that this event can have on women in Brazil, in South America and around the world makes me even more certain that the decision I made in my childhood, at a time when women’s football in Brazil was still in its infancy, was the right one.” Pellegrino has held a number of leadership and management positions, including Director of Women’s Football at the São Paulo Football Federation and Technical Supervisor at Corinthians. Since 2020, she has been Manager of Women’s Competitions at the Brazilian Football Association, a role that she will continue to perform alongside her position at the Local FIFA Subsidiary in Brazil, in which her primary focus will be on next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. In addition, she is part of the FIFA Legends Programme and an ambassador for CONMEBOL, roles in which she helps to promote and develop women’s football. “I wish for the 2027 tournament to be more than just a major sporting event. I believe it will also be a defining milestone in showing appreciation and respect for women in football. It should leave a legacy that goes beyond the pitch and impacts future generations,” she added.

The other members of the senior management team at the Local FIFA Subsidiary in Brazil are Gal Barradas (Executive Director of Revenues & Marketing), Patricia Hespanha (Executive Director of Administration) and Thiago Jannuzzi (Executive Director of Operations). Of the 128 staff members across the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 offices in Rio de Janeiro and the other seven Host Cities, 70% are women. FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis, is a leading voice in creating more pathways and opportunities for women in all areas of the game. She is confident that having an inclusive and strong leadership team in Brazil will build a legacy that extends beyond the pitch. “The women who step into the organisation of the event will gain experience, confidence and a stronger network that will shape their future roles and decisions, not to mention the lifelong memories of leading a Women’s World Cup at home. That’s where real change happens. This tournament will create role models not just on the pitch, but in our boardrooms too,” said Ellis.

Barradas has over 20 years’ experience of leading major advertisers and large teams in multinational environments. Furthermore, she has a personal connection with football. The Barradão Stadium in Salvador, one of the tournament’s eight Host Cities, is named after her grandfather, Manoel Barradas, who was President of Vitória (whose home matches are played at the stadium) in the 1940s. “When one woman wins, we all win,” Barradas said. “Every time football shows women progressing, it sparks a massive wave of transformation elsewhere. With an event the size of the [FIFA Women’s] World Cup taking place in Brazil, we have the opportunity to bring about changes in all areas related to women.” Hespanha is a senior international executive with extensive experience of leading complex businesses and large-scale projects in Europe, Latin America, Canada and Asia. She too has witnessed positive changes for female empowerment. “At the beginning of my career, I rarely attended meetings in which there was another woman present. At the [Local] FIFA Subsidiary, however, we have a very significant female workforce, including at management level, with female directors and heads of department,” she commented. “This gives us an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the value and strength of women in the sports and football industries, as well as in the labour market,” added Jannuzzi, a former CONMEBOL executive who was part of the Local Organising Committee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. “I am confident that our strategic vision, centred on women’s participation and empowerment, will enable us to deliver an exceptional tournament of the highest calibre and the best FIFA Women’s World Cup ever.”