While the rest of the world moves on from the 2026 FIFA World Cup action, one woman is still reveling in the memories. This year, Tori Penso became the first American woman to ever referee a World Cup match, and only the second-ever woman in general to do so.
According to CNN, Penso is breaking barriers for female soccer referees, becoming the first full-time female referee in Major League Soccer and leading the first all-American, all-female officiating crew at a group-stage game in June.
“This moment is for them so that they have a bigger stage when they get there,” said Penso. “Women belong in sport, in boardrooms, and places where maybe they haven’t historically had a seat. And when we show up and we do it right and we perform well, it moves the needle.”
And Penso’s advocacy for more women to step up to the plate is having small, incremental effects. Six women were selected as referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Penso began refereeing when she was just 14 years old, and that early introduction and grassroots pipeline is something she sees as essential to increasing the amount of female referees in the game. Her long tenure is set to continue as she prepares for the women’s World Cup in Brazil next year.
She is also looking ahead to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in Portugal, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino is rumored to expand the tournament to include up to 64 teams. Already the 2026 tournament made history with the number of officials, 170 from 50 countries. Future events are set to expand from there.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve done,” Penso said. “At the same time, I look forward to the day when it’s not a talking point – we have officials on the field because they are capable, because they’ve earned the spot based on their performances, and it’s not about what gender they are.”
