Tori Penso, 1st female referee to officiate match at FIFA World Cup

Tori Penso became the first American woman to referee a senior men’s FIFA World Cup match, officiating Czechia vs South Africa. She is only the second woman ever to do so, after a career including the Women’s World Cup final and Major League Soccer matches.

History was made at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday night. Tori Penso became the first American woman to referee a senior men's World Cup match. She was the one with the whistle during the game between Czechia and South Africa.

And she did a fantastic job! The match went off smoothly without any controversies. Penso managed the game with a smile, and you couldn't tell it was her first time refereeing a men's World Cup match. After such a good performance, she might get to referee more games in the future.

Tori Penso was born in Florida, USA, and has become one of the most respected referees in international football. Her skills have caught everyone's attention. In 2020, she got her first chance to referee a Major League Soccer (MLS) match, becoming the first woman to do so in 20 years. Since then, she has been getting one big match after another, and now she has even refereed a men's World Cup game.

By officiating in a FIFA Men's World Cup match, Tori Penso became the second woman, after Stephanie Frappart of France, to serve as an on-pitch referee at a men's FIFA World Cup tournament.