Tori Penso

Mary Victoria Penso (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. She was invited to an Olympic Development Program refereeing camp in Alabama at the age of 18. 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.

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). 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.

In January 2020, Penso was appointed as the managing director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association. On September 25, 2020, she became the fourth woman to referee a MLS match and the first since Sandy Hunt in May 2000. Penso is all the first full-time female referee in the league's history.

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. She later officiated the opening match of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

On April 3, 2024, FIFA announced that Penso was appointed to officiating pool for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Personal life
Penso is married to Chris Penso, a long-time MLS referee. They have three daughters. In addition to refereeing, Penso teaches a University of South Florida course in social media and sports.