Brooke Mayo To Become First Out Gay Referee At The World Cup
Brooke Mayo will serve as assistant referee during one of Thursday’s matches.
Referee Brooke Mayo during a game between FC Cincinnati and Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field on September 18, 2024 in St.Paul, Minnesota. Featured image by Jeremy Olson/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The World Cup match between Czechia and South Africa is about to make FIFA history with the first out LGBTQ+ referee.
Brooke Mayo has been named one of two assistant referees for the match, which will take place on Thursday at Atlanta Stadium. In addition to previously having written about being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Mayo also “confirmed to Outsports that she is both gay and grateful for the support of the wider community.”
Taking on this match is a big deal for the Tennessee Tech grad, who has previously acted as assistant referee during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But her appointment also means something for LGBTQ+ representation, as @outreferee notes this will make her “the first openly out and proud referee to take part in competition at this level.”
The accomplishment goes even deeper than that. Mayo is part of the only all-female trio to referee any of this year’s World Cup matches, alongside fellow assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt and referee Tori Penso. Penso is also making history as the first female ref from the U.S. to oversee a World Cup match. The three referees have also worked together before, making history as the first American crew to officiate a World Cup Final in 2023.
“I think for me personally, all the years leading up to it, in particular once I got nominated as a candidate, that was the stressful time. That was the hard time,” Mayo said at the time. “Actually being at the World Cup? That was a lot of fun.”
But she hasn’t coasted on her previous successes, instead continuing to climb to new heights in the world of refereeing.
“You’re only as good as your last performance,” she told WSMV. “At these events, there are so many people watching you that you want to put your best foot forward to represent yourself, your country and your federation well.”
