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Tori Penso has been appointed by FIFA to referee the group-stage match between the Czech Republic and South Africa on June 18, 2026. The assignment makes her the first American woman to officiate a men’s FIFA World Cup match, and only the second woman ever to do so.
The only other woman to have reached this level is French referee Stéphanie Frappart, who broke that particular glass ceiling at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Penso now follows in those footsteps, with the added significance that she’ll be doing it on home turf. The 2026 tournament is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
From Tampa Bay to the world stage
Penso, 39, comes from the Tampa Bay area and has been building toward this moment for years. She’s been on the FIFA international referee list since 2021 and currently officiates in Major League Soccer and the USL Championship, two of the most prominent professional leagues in the US.
Her resume already includes one of the biggest assignments in the sport. In 2023, Penso officiated the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, becoming the first American referee of any gender to handle a World Cup final match.
Frappart’s groundbreaking appointment in 2022 was met with intense scrutiny, both from those who celebrated the milestone and those who questioned whether it was merit-based or performative. She handled it well, and her performance helped normalize the idea that gender is irrelevant to referee quality. Penso now benefits from that precedent while also reinforcing it.
The Czech Republic vs South Africa match on June 18 won’t be the most high-profile game of the tournament. Group-stage matches rarely are. But it will be one of the most historically significant assignments on the schedule, and the fact that it’s happening in a US-hosted World Cup adds a layer of national pride to an already meaningful moment.
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