Join us for our next live Referee Educational Webinar: Wednesday, September 27th from 7:00–8:30 p.m. Our special guest is FIFA and MLS Referee, Tori Penso.

Already well-established as a high-level referee, Penso made headlines about the world this summer when she became the first American to officiate a FIFA World Cup final. This webinar will be her first major public appearance since returning from Australia.

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). Penso later served as an assistant or fourth official at several Major League Soccer (MLS) and USL Championship matches. In January 2020, Penso was appointed as the managing director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association. On September 25, 2020, she became the ninth woman to referee a MLS match and the first since Sandy Hunt in May 2000.

On January 9, 2023, FIFA appointed her to the officiating pool for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Penso was appointed to officiate the final — the first referee from the U.S. to officiate 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 at the event.