Kansas City witnesses a FIFA men’s World Cup first: female ref from Latin America
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- Katia Itzel Garcia became the first Latin American woman to head-referee a men’s World.
- Garcia has officiated in Liga MX, the 2023 Women’s World Cup and Paris 2024 bronze.
- On June 18, an American trio led by Tori Penso became the first all-women World Cup crew.
The Netherlands-Tunisia game on Thursday night at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium was the site of an officiating first.
Katia Itzel Garcia of Mexico became the first Latin American woman to serve as head referee for a men’s FIFA World Cup match. Netherlands won 3-1.
Garcia, 33, has previously officiated in Liga MX, the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the bronze medal game at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Last year, she became the first woman to referee a men’s Gold Cup match.
Earlier in the day, American Tori Penso served as head referee for the Ecuador-Germany game in New Jersey, leading an all-women crew for the game along with Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt.
That American trio became the first all-women crew for a men’s World Cup game when they called the action in South Africa-Czechia on June 18.
Women officials first worked the men’s World Cup in 2022 at Qatar.
On the 2026 World Cup’s roster of 170 officials, six are women.