Spain appoints Montse Tomé as first female coach of women's national team

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced Tuesday that Montse Tomé will replace Jorge Vilda as coach of the women's national team. She is the first-ever woman to hold the position for Spain.

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Tomé has served as an assistant under Vilda for the last five years. Before moving to the bench, Tomé was a player who had a 10-year club career and made four appearances with the women's national team.

Vilda was fired on Tuesday despite leading Spain to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup title. Vilda's tenure as coach of the women's national team was marked by controversy, with 15 players rebelling against him in 2022. Only three of those players were named to the World Cup squad.

Vilda also applauded suspended federation president Luis Rubiales during his defiant speech on last month. Vilda later denounced Rubiales' behavior.

Tomé's first match in charge will be against Sweden — FIFA's No. 1-ranked team in the world — on Sept. 22 in the UEFA Women's Nations League. Spain will then play Switzerland on Sept. 26.