Tori Penso
Penso in 2025
Full name Mary Victoria Penso[1]
Born Mary Victoria Hancock[2]
(1986-07-08) July 8, 1986 (age 39)
Stuart, Florida, U.S.
Other occupation Digital marketer
Domestic
Years League Role
2015– National Women's Soccer League Referee
2019– USL Championship Referee
2020– Major League Soccer Referee
International
Years League Role
2021– FIFA listed Referee

Mary Victoria Penso (née Hancock; born 1986) is an American soccer referee. She began her professional refereeing career in the National Women's Soccer League and later moved to Major League Soccer, where in 2020 she became the first woman to referee a regular season match in 20 years. Penso was the referee for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final, the first World Cup final to feature an American referee.

Career

Penso was raised in Stuart, Florida, and began refereeing at the age of 14 alongside her older brothers.[3][4] She was invited to an Olympic Development Program refereeing camp in Alabama at the age of 18.[5]

Domestic

Penso joined the United States Soccer Federation as a referee in 2013 and was assigned to women's collegiate tournaments and later the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[6][7] Following the 2019 Generation Adidas Cup, she was invited to join the Professional Referee Organization's PRO2 development program. Penso later served as a fourth official at several Major League Soccer (MLS) and referee in USL Championship matches, in addition to assignments in the NWSL.[5][6]

In January 2020, Penso was appointed as the managing director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association.[8]

On September 25, 2020, she became the fourth woman to referee a MLS match and the first since Sandy Hunt in May 2000.[6] Penso is the first full-time female referee in the league's history.[3]

Penso was assigned as the referee for the 2025 US Open Cup Final between Austin FC and Nashville SC.[9]

International

On January 9, 2023, FIFA appointed her to the officiating pool for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.[10] Penso, along with fellow Americans Kathryn Nesbitt and Brooke Mayo, was appointed to officiate the final—the first referee from the U.S. to have the whistle for a FIFA World Cup final and the first Women's World Cup final referee from the Americas—as well as a semi-final and three earlier matches.[11][12]

Penso officiated the opening match of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. She was also assigned the third place match.[13] Penso worked the Club World Cup again in 2025, where she officiated two group stage matches.[14]

On April 3, 2024, FIFA announced that Penso was appointed to the officiating pool for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[15] Penso was assigned the opening round Group A match between France and Colombia.[16]

Tori Penso was selected as a referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.[17] She debuted her first game of this tournament as the head referee on June 18, 2026, between Czech Republic and South Africa. Penso is only the second female referee in history to have officiated a men's World Cup match, after Stéphanie Frappart had done so at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[18]

Personal life

Penso is married to Chris Penso, a long-time MLS referee. They have three daughters.[3][6]

Penso graduated from Florida State University in 2008 with a digital marketing degree. She worked in marketing for Coca-Cola and Red Bull until relocating to Ohio to earn a Master of Business Administration in 2015 from the Case Western Reserve University.[6][7] In addition to refereeing, Penso teaches a University of South Florida course in social media and sports.[19]

References

  1. ^ "All posts tagged "Mary Victoria Penso"". Florida football Referees. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "From officiating at the YMCA to the NWSL's championship game, congratulations Tori and proud mom Patti Hancock!". YMCA. November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ a b c Timm-Garcia, Jaide (August 20, 2023). "'Being a mother has made me, frankly, a better referee,' says US ref Tori Penso, who is officiating at Women's World Cup". CNN. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Tori Penso: "Be the role you aspire to be"". Professional Referee Organization. May 18, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Carlisle, Jeff (September 25, 2020). "Tori Penso, first woman MLS ref since 2000, hopeful for more games". ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e Hills, Drake (September 25, 2020). "How Tori Penso became the first woman in 20 years to referee an MLS game". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "From the national field to the corporate world: How Tori Penso, MBA '15, leveraged her Weatherhead education to turn her passion into a career". Case Western Reserve University. March 11, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Huber, Gary W. (January 29, 2020). "Tori Penso Appointed as NISOA Managing Director". National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tori Penso Leads First All-Female U.S. Open Cup Final Officiating Crew". ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  10. ^ "Match officials appointed for FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™" (Press release). FIFA. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Woitalla, Mike (August 18, 2023). "First U.S. ref for World Cup final: Tori Penso set for another milestone". Soccer America. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Anderson, Jason (August 18, 2023). "U.S. makes World Cup final after all as referee Penso gets England vs. Spain". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Dunbar, Graham (December 16, 2023). "FIFA and Saudi Arabia bond over Club World Cup this week with bigger goal ahead of 2034 World Cup". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "U.S. Soccer Referees Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo, Kathryn Nesbitt And Armando Villarreal Selected As Match Officials For 2025 Fifa Club World Cup In United States". ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  15. ^ "U.S. Soccer Referees Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt Selected as Match Officials at 2024 Olympic Football Tournament in France". United States Soccer Federation. April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Mixed gender teams to officiate at Paris 2024". FIFA.com. July 23, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Eight U.S. Soccer Referees Appointed For This Summer's FIFA World Cup". ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  18. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/06/18/these-american-women-are-making-history-referees-mens-world-cup/
  19. ^ Hall, Matthew (September 15, 2023). "Women's World Cup final ref Tori Penso: 'Male players chip in about everything'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  • Tori Penso at the Professional Referee Organization