Tales and Topics from the Panhandle to the Keys – Florida Soccer Referee Becomes First Woman to Call Men’s World Cup Match

Florida Soccer Referee Becomes First Woman to Call Men’s World Cup Match – Volume 1, Edition 18
By Nick Gandy

It started on a field in Stuart when 14-year-old Tori Penso took the advice of her mother and began refereeing youth soccer games. After all, she spent most of her time on the soccer field anyway.

Over time, she has looped the whistle over her head and walked onto the pitch at some of the world’s most famous destinations.

Beginning June 11, with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, she will be one of the lead referees, becoming the first American woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match.

“Refereeing has been the adventure of a lifetime,” she said. “There’s nothing like being a referee on a global stage. I’ve got the best seat in the house.”

While Penso admits there’s plenty of young referees on soccer fields around the country.  Teenagers can start as early as 13 years old with parental consent. However, most don’t’ stick with it long.

“I loved it because I was making some money on the side as a 14-year old,” she said.

After graduating from Martin County High School, she attended Florida State University and earned a degree in International Affairs and Advertising in 2008 while playing on the club soccer team. At the time there was not the opportunities for advancement to the professional and “called it quits on my playing days,” she said.

“It was a lot of fun and there’s players from that team who are still my friends and we have daughters playing soccer now.”

With her FSU degree in hand, she started marketing Coca Cola products on college campuses. With the beverage experience, she moved into an opportunity driving Mini Coopers passing out Red Bull samples at Tampa Bay area events.

From there went to the corporate headquarters and managed the program of the vehicles  featuring a massive fiberglass energy drink can mounted in place of the rear seats.

After earning a MBA from Case Western University and working in the marketing world for 10 years, as well as refereeing, she was watching the 2019 Women’s World Cup and had her “What If,” moment in life.

“What if, I stepped away from marketing and made the commitment of making refereeing a full-time job,” she asked herself and gave herself a goal of one year.

In 2020, she was referee in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Besides officiating some of the top soccer players in the world, her job on the field takes her to some of the most interesting places in the world.

“I love traveling and exploring the world’s cultures, food and history,” she said. “I enjoyed the Paris Olympics. One being at the Olympic Games and being in such an incredible city.”

However, her defining cultural moment came when she officiated an international game in Saudi Arabia, where women’s accomplishments have only recently been recognized and accepted.

“Going to Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023 was an eye opener,” Penso said. “I was in a world so very different from my own. I was the first female referee in a place where women were given the right to drive just a few years earlier.”

As she stood on the pitch in a stadium full of young boys and men all applauding, she was changing their perspective of seeing women in a leadership position.

“I still get goose bumps thinking about it,” she said. “It was changing the narrative for a lot of young boys and men in the country.”

This week, Penso begins a 10-day pre-tournament seminar in Miami for fitness and a refresher course on current rules.

The team of referees will not know their game assignments until 48 hours of the first whistle. They will travel from Miami to one of 16 locations in North America.  Their next assignments will be based on performances in games.

The 104-match World Cup tournament stretches from June 11 through the final on July 19. Matches will be played daily from June 11 through July 7.  When the brackets reach the quarterfinal rounds and there’s a couple days off until the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium, in East Rutherford, NY.

As a MLS referee since 2020 working a year-round schedule of 50-60 games per year, Penso runs up and down the 100 yard + field about 7 ½ miles during a 90-minute game.

“It’s a high intensity activity and not an easy job,” Penso admits.

She handles it with ease and has worked her way to the pinnacle of the sport, as a lead referee in the world’s most renowned soccer tournament.

However, even with her volumes of soccer knowledge, she will not provide any insight on which country will host the solid gold World Cup Trophy on July 19.

“I don’t really have a prediction of a winner,” she said with a chuckle. “That’s not my area of expertise.”

That’s ok, Tori, being an inspiration to young soccer players and prospective officials from Stuart, Florida to Saudi Arabia, is an area of expertise to enjoy with great pride.

Watch Interview on CBS 12 News West Palm Beach

Nick Gandy is a 40-year sports communications professional who has worked with the Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization, since 1998.

June 2, 2026