{"id":4312,"date":"2026-06-19T08:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4312"},"modified":"2026-06-19T08:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:35:03","slug":"these-american-women-are-making-history-as-referees-at-the-mens-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4312","title":{"rendered":"These American women are making history as referees at the men\u2019s World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Referees Kathryn Nesbitt, left, Tori Penso and Brooke Mayo before the Czech Republic vs. South Africa match in Atlanta. (Bernadett Szabo\/Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

ATLANTA \u2014 They say well-behaved women seldom make history, but Thursday, the three American women making history at the men\u2019s World Cup were in charge of the men\u2019s behavior.<\/p>

Read more Spencer Carbery signs multiyear extension as Capitals\u2019 coach<\/a><\/p>\n

Referees Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt officiated the group-stage match between Czech Republic and South Africa as the first all-American, all-women officiating crew at the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cFemale officials are capable, whether that be physically or mentally or technically,\u201d Penso told the Treasure Coast Newspapers last June<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m proud of what we\u2019ve been able to accomplish so far. There\u2019s still so much for us to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women referees were first used in the men\u2019s tournament at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and one match that year \u2014 Germany vs. Costa Rica in the group stage \u2014 was officiated by three women: St\u00e9phanie Frappart of France, Nezua Back of Brazil and Karen D\u00edaz of Mexico.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Nesbitt during the match on Thursday. She was also selected for the 2022 men’s World Cup. (Brett Davis\/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Nesbitt was one of six women selected to officiate in Qatar, while Penso and Mayo made their men\u2019s World Cup debut in Thursday\u2019s match. All three were chosen to officiate at the 2024 Olympics and have been members of the FIFA officiating panel for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an impossible dream for me, and just being able to witness females at this event now makes this realistic for all women,\u201d Nesbitt told The Washington Post in 2022<\/a>. \u201cWhether it be in refereeing, whether it be in a different sport, whether it be in something completely different \u2014 sometimes just having a visual like that can make something actually be real. If I get to play even a small role in that, that\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penso was the center official on Thursday, with Mayo and Nesbitt as the assistant referees working the sidelines. The trio has worked together several times: in the 2023 women\u2019s World Cup final, the 2023 Club World Cup and the 2024 Concacaf Nations League.<\/p>

Read more NYCFC teammates Freese, O\u2019Neill and Trewin to clash in crucial World Cup group match<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Tori Penso officiates the match on Thursday. (Lars Baron\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Penso, 39, had a lengthy career in marketing, while staying involved in soccer as a part-time official, before making refereeing her full-time career in 2017. In 2020, she became the first woman to officiate a regular season MLS match since 2000.<\/p>\n

Nesbitt, 37, took an even more unusual route to this stage. She earned her PhD in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015 and, after two years of postdoctoral research, spent two years as a professor at Towson University. But in 2019, Nesbitt stepped down to pursue her officiating career.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
The referees, including reserve assistant referee Isaac Trevis and fourth official Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh, before the match. (Nathan Ray Seebeck\/Imagn Images\/Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Mayo, also 37, used to balance her officiating career alongside working as an educator and coach in public schools. Before the 2023 women\u2019s World Cup, she chose to focus on officiating full-time. But she intends to return to education as a middle school P.E. teacher in Colorado in the fall. She was named U.S. soccer\u2019s 2025 female referee of the year in January.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Mayo came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a blog post for the National Intercollegiate Soccer Official Association<\/a>. It\u2019s believed that she is the first publicly out gay official at the men\u2019s World Cup, which added a bit more history to the trio\u2019s match on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I view us as just a normal trio that has earned their place at this FIFA World Cup, I know we represent something bigger than ourselves,\u201d Mayo told Yahoo Sports this week<\/a>. \u201cThere is no limiting factor for you to achieve your dreams as long as you are willing to sacrifice, put in the work and take advantage when the opportunity comes.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup, beating South Korea 1-0<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
The referees greet the South African players before the match. (Bernadett Szabo\/Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt became the first all-American, all-women officiating crew at the men\u2019s World Cup. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nThese American women are making history as referees at the men\u2019s World Cup - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4312\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These American women are making history as referees at the men\u2019s World Cup - 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