Tori Penso

{{Short description|American soccer referee (born 1986)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox football official | name = Tori Penso | image = Tori Penso NYCFC Miami 24 Sep 2025-015 (cropped).jpg | caption = Penso in 2025 | fullname = Mary Victoria Penso<ref>{{cite web |url=http://flsrc.org/tag/mary-victoria-penso/ |title=All posts tagged "Mary Victoria Penso" |work=Florida football Referees |access-date=December 28, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228161855/http://flsrc.org/tag/mary-victoria-penso/ |archive-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> | birth_name = Mary Victoria Hancock<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/YMCAofTC/posts/10158115530387213 |title=From officiating at the YMCA to the NWSL's championship game, congratulations Tori and proud mom Patti Hancock! |work=YMCA |date=November 19, 2021 |access-date=December 28, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211228161546/https://www.facebook.com/YMCAofTC/posts/10158115530387213 |archive-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|07|08|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Stuart, Florida, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | otheroccupation = Digital marketer | role1 = Referee | years1 = 2015– | league1 = National Women's Soccer League | role2 = Referee | years2 = 2019– | league2 = USL Championship | role3 = Referee | years3 = 2020– | league3 = Major League Soccer | internationalyears1 = 2021– | confederation1 = FIFA listed | internationalrole1 = Referee | internationalyears2 = | confederation2 = | internationalrole2 = }}

'''Mary Victoria Penso''' ({{nee|'''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.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |last=Timm-Garcia |first=Jaide |date=August 20, 2023 |title='Being a mother has made me, frankly, a better referee,' says US ref Tori Penso, who is officiating at Women's World Cup |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/16/sport/tori-penso-referee-fifa-wwc-2023-spt-intl/index.html |publisher=CNN |accessdate=March 3, 2024}}</ref><ref name="PRO-Interview">{{cite news |date=May 18, 2020 |title=Tori Penso: "Be the role you aspire to be" |url=http://proreferees.com/2020/05/18/tori-penso-be-the-role-you-aspire-to-be/ |publisher=Professional Referee Organization |accessdate=September 27, 2020}}</ref> She was invited to an Olympic Development Program refereeing camp in Alabama at the age of 18.<ref name="ESPN-First">{{cite news |last=Carlisle |first=Jeff |date=September 25, 2020 |title=Tori Penso, first woman MLS ref since 2000, hopeful for more games |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/4191541/tori-pensofirst-woman-mls-ref-since-2000hopeful-for-more-games |work=ESPN |accessdate=September 27, 2020}}</ref>

=== 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).<ref name="TN-2020">{{cite news |last=Hills |first=Drake |date=September 25, 2020 |title=How Tori Penso became the first woman in 20 years to referee an MLS game |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nashvillesc/2020/09/25/tori-penso-female-mls-referee-sandy-hunt-nashville-sc-dc-united/3507723001/ |work=The Tennessean |accessdate=September 27, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Case">{{cite news |date=March 11, 2020 |title=From the national field to the corporate world: How Tori Penso, MBA '15, leveraged her Weatherhead education to turn her passion into a career |url=https://weatherhead.case.edu/news/2020/03/11/from-the-national-field-to-the-corporate-world-how-tori-penso-mba-15-leveraged-her-weatherhead-education-to-turn-her-passion-into-a-career |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |accessdate=September 27, 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref name="ESPN-First" /><ref name="TN-2020" />

In January 2020, Penso was appointed as the managing director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association.<ref>{{cite news |last=Huber |first=Gary W. |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Tori Penso Appointed as NISOA Managing Director |url=https://nisoa.com/2020/01/29/tori-penso-appointed-as-nisoa-managing-director/ |publisher=National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association |accessdate=September 27, 2020}}</ref>

On September 25, 2020, she became the fourth woman to referee a MLS match and the first since Sandy Hunt in May 2000.<ref name="TN-2020" /> Penso is the first full-time female referee in the league's history.<ref name="CNN" />

In 2022, Tori Penso was appointed as the referee for the NWSL final between Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars. <ref>{{Cite web |title=NWSL Championship Roll of Honor |url=https://proreferees.com/officials/nwsl-championship-roll-of-honor/ |access-date=2026-05-31 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Penso was assigned as the referee for the 2025 US Open Cup Final between Austin FC and Nashville SC. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Tori Penso Leads First All-Female U.S. Open Cup Final Officiating Crew |url=https://ussoccer.com/stories/2025/09/tori-penso-first-all-female-open-cup-final-officiating-crew |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=ussoccer.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== 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.<ref name="fifa-2023">{{Cite press release |date=January 9, 2023 |title=Match officials appointed for FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ |publisher=FIFA |url=https://www.fifa.com/technical/refereeing/news/match-officials-appointed-for-fifa-womens-world-cup-australia-and-new |access-date=January 9, 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url-access=registration|last=Woitalla |first=Mike |date=August 18, 2023 |title=First U.S. ref for World Cup final: Tori Penso set for another milestone |url=https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/97251/first-us-ref-for-world-cup-final-tori-penso-set.html |work=Soccer America |accessdate=August 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Jason |date=August 18, 2023 |title=U.S. makes World Cup final after all as referee Penso gets England vs. Spain |url=https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/2023/08/17/world-cup-final-2023-referees-tori-penso-england-spain/ |work=USA Today |accessdate=August 18, 2023}}</ref>

Penso officiated the opening match of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunbar |first=Graham |date=December 16, 2023 |title=FIFA and Saudi Arabia bond over Club World Cup this week with bigger goal ahead of 2034 World Cup |url=https://www.chron.com/sports/article/fifa-and-saudi-arabia-bond-over-club-world-cup-18558167.php |work=Houston Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=December 23, 2023}}</ref> She worked the Club World Cup again in 2025. <ref>{{Cite web |title=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 |url=https://ussoccer.com/stories/2025/04/four-us-soccer-referees-selected-for-2025-fifa-club-world-cup |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=ussoccer.com |language=en}}</ref>

On April 3, 2024, FIFA announced that Penso was appointed to the officiating pool for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 3, 2024 |title=U.S. Soccer Referees Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt Selected as Match Officials at 2024 Olympic Football Tournament in France |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2024/04/us-soccer-referees-tori-penso-brooke-mayo-kathryn-nesbitt-selected-officials-2024-olympic-tournament |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |access-date=April 27, 2024}}</ref> Penso was assigned the opening round Group A match between France and Colombia.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 23, 2024 |title=Mixed gender teams to officiate at Paris 2024 |url=https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/olympicgames/paris2024/articles/mixed-gender-teams-to-officiate-at-paris-2024 |publisher=FIFA.com |accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>

Tori Penso was selected as a referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, making her the first female American to be a referee at a men's World Cup. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Eight U.S. Soccer Referees Appointed For This Summer's FIFA World Cup |url=https://ussoccer.com/stories/2026/04/federation/eight-referees-appointed-fifa-world-cup |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=ussoccer.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Penso is married to Chris Penso, a long-time MLS referee. They have three daughters.<ref name="CNN"/><ref name="TN-2020"/>

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.<ref name="TN-2020" /><ref name="Case" /> In addition to refereeing, Penso teaches a University of South Florida course in social media and sports.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Matthew |date=September 15, 2023 |title=Women's World Cup final ref Tori Penso: 'Male players chip in about everything' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/sep/15/womens-world-cup-final-ref-tori-penso-male-players-chip-in-about-everything |work=The Guardian |accessdate=March 3, 2024}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{PRO referee|tori-penso}}

{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{s-bef|before={{flagicon|FRA}} Stéphanie Frappart}} {{s-ttl|title=FIFA Women's World Cup final referee<br />2023}} {{s-aft|after=''TBD''}} {{s-end}}

{{Major League Soccer referees}} {{FIFA Women's World Cup Final referees}} {{2026 FIFA World Cup referees}} {{2023 FIFA Women's World Cup referees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penso, Tori}} Category:1980s births Category:Living people Category:American soccer referees Category:Major League Soccer referees Category:Sportspeople from Stuart, Florida Category:Case Western Reserve University alumni Category:American women referees and umpires Category:Women association football referees Category:Women's association football referees Category:National Women's Soccer League referees Category:2023 FIFA Women's World Cup referees Category:FIFA Women's World Cup finals match officials Category:2024 Copa América referees Category:21st-century American women Category:2026 FIFA World Cup referees Category:Football referees at the 2024 Summer Olympics