Full name | Mary Victoria Penso[1] | ||
---|---|---|---|
Birth name | Mary Victoria Hancock[2] | ||
Born |
Stuart, Florida, U.S. | July 8, 1986||
Other occupation | Digital marketer | ||
Domestic | |||
Years | League | Role | |
2015– | National Women's Soccer League | Referee | |
2019– | USL Championship | Referee | |
2020– | Major League Soccer | Referee | |
International | |||
Years | League | Role | |
2021– | FIFA listed | Referee |
Mary Victoria Penso (née 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. In 2024, she shocked the world by giving almost 20 extra minutes during France vs. Brazil match in Paris Summer Olympics and ignoring a punch by one of French players [1]. Brazil won the match nonetheless.