The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has announced that the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between the national teams of South Africa and the Czech Republic will be officiated by an all-female refereeing team marking only the second time in the history of the men’s World Cup that such an appointment has been made.
According to FIFA, American referee Tori Penso will take charge of the match, assisted by Kathryn Nesbitt and Brooke Mayo as assistant referees.
The first time a woman officiated a men’s World Cup match was at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when French referee Stéphanie Frappart oversaw the match between Germany and Costa Rica, becoming the first female referee in the tournament’s history.
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA has included six female referees and assistant referees among the tournament’s official match officials. Tori Penso, Katia García, Kathryn Nesbitt, Brooke Mayo, Sandra Ramírez, and Tatiana Guzmán are among the women selected to officiate at the competition.
Although women still represent a relatively small proportion of the 170 officials and referees appointed for the World Cup, their presence for a second consecutive tournament reflects the growing role of female referees within the officiating structure of the world’s most prestigious football event.
FIFA has previously emphasized that referees for the tournament are selected on the basis of technical criteria, experience, and professional competence, and that gender plays no role in the selection process. The continued inclusion of female officials in the highest levels of international football is seen as a reflection of that approach.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
