US referee Tori Penso second woman to officiate men's World Cup game

US referee Tori Penso was assigned to officiate the Group A match between Czechia and South Africa in Atlanta on Thursday, making her the second woman to take charge of a men's World Cup match.

Penso follows in the footsteps of France's Stéphanie Frappart, who was the lead referee for the Germany-Costa Rica group-stage match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In Atlanta, she will be assisted on the sidelines by fellow Americans Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt.

Penso officiated the final of the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where Spain emerged victorious after defeating England 1-0.

Penso got her start as a referee at age 14 as a way to make some extra money, and began taking it more seriously at age 18 when she went to an Olympic Development Program refereeing camp in Alabama.

She studied advertising without ever fully stepping away from the world of soccer. Later, she left her job at an advertising agency, to referee full-time.

In September 2020, she became the first woman to referee an MLS match in more than 20 years.

Penso, 39, has been part of the FIFA international referee panel since 2021.

That same year, she became the first woman to lead an all-female officiating team in a men's competition organized by Concacaf, refereeing a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

In 2022, she also officiated five matches at the U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, including one of the semifinals.