Referee Tori Penso to oversee Ecuador‑Germany World Cup 2026 group clash

FIFA has appointed American official Tori Penso as the central referee for the Group E match between Ecuador and Germany at the 2026 World Cup. The game is scheduled for Thursday 25 June at MetLife Stadium, with a kickoff at 15:00 Ecuador time. Penso, 39, is the second woman to referee a men’s World Cup match, following Stéphanie Frappart in 2022, and is part of a largely American officiating crew that includes assistants Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt and New Zealand fourth‑official Campbell‑Kirk Kawana‑Waugh. She brings extensive experience, having been an international referee since 2021, breaking ground as the first woman to officiate a Major League Soccer regular‑season match in 2020 and refereeing the 2023 Women’s World Cup final between Spain and England.

The encounter is decisive for Ecuador, which must win to keep alive its chances of advancing to the round of 16, while Germany also needs a positive result to secure qualification. Penso’s appointment highlights the growing role of female officials in top‑level men’s football and adds a notable storyline to an already crucial group‑stage fixture.