Key Takeaways
- Brooke Mayo is expected to become the first publicly out gay official to serve in an on-field role at a men’s FIFA World Cup match.
- She will officiate Czechia vs. South Africa as part of the first all-American, all-woman crew in men’s World Cup history.
- Mayo built a résumé across MLS, World Cup qualifying, and international competitions, earning U.S. Soccer’s 2025 Female Referee of the Year honor.
Brooke Mayo is set to make history during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The U.S. assistant referee is expected to become the first publicly out LGBTQ+ match official to take part in an on-field role at a men’s FIFA World Cup match when Czechia faces South Africa on Thursday (June 18) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Mayo is listed as one of the assistant referees for the Group A fixture alongside Kathryn Nesbitt, with Tori Penso appointed as the match referee.
The assignment gives the tournament a Pride Month milestone as Mayo, who confirmed to Outsports that she is gay, steps onto one of the biggest stages in global sports. In a 2024 Pride Month blog post for the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association, Mayo previously described herself as “a member of the LGBTQ+ community” while reflecting on the pressure of balancing openness with personal safety.
“Growing up in the South was not easy,” she wrote at the time, adding that she struggled with “authenticity versus safety.” Mayo also shared that she moved states due to concerns for her family’s safety, but described the soccer field as a place where she felt supported being her authentic self.
The match also carries another historic note. According to USA Today, Penso, Mayo, and Nesbitt will become the first all-American, all-woman on-field officiating crew for a men’s World Cup match. The crew follows the tournament’s first all-woman officiating team in 2022, when France’s Stéphanie Frappart led Germany’s group-stage match against Costa Rica in Qatar.
The historic officiating crew for the FIFA World Cup in Atlanta
Penso’s appointment makes her the first U.S. woman to serve as the lead referee for a men’s World Cup match and only the second woman overall to do so. Nesbitt also brings major tournament experience, having been among the women selected to officiate at the 2022 men’s World Cup.
The trio previously worked together on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final between Spain and England, where Penso served as referee and Mayo and Nesbitt worked as assistant referees. U.S. Soccer later noted that the assignment made them the first American officials to lead the officiating crew for a senior World Cup Final.
For Mayo, Thursday’s match adds to a growing list of international assignments. She was named U.S. Soccer’s 2025 Female Referee of the Year earlier this year after working across MLS, FIFA Club World Cup, World Cup qualifying, and Concacaf competition.