COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Former Tennessee Tech soccer standout Brooke Mayo has been selected as an assistant referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, adding another major achievement to her international officiating career.
Mayo, a 2011 graduate of Tennessee Tech, said she learned the news while receiving a phone call from longtime officiating partners Tori Penso and Kathryn Nesbitt.
“I answered and asked, ‘Is it good news?’” Mayo recalled with a laugh.
It was.
Mayo previously officiated at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. She was also named U.S. Soccer’s 2025 Female Referee of the Year.
“You’re only as good as your last performance,” Mayo said. “At these events, there are so many people watching that you want to put your best foot forward to represent yourself, your country and your federation well.”
Before becoming an international referee, Mayo played women’s soccer at Tennessee Tech from 2007 to 2010 while earning a degree in exercise science. She later earned recognition as Tech’s 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Mayo said her experience as a student-athlete helped shape her approach to officiating.
“I learned how to be a good teammate,” Mayo said. “No matter what referee I work with, I’m able to be a good teammate.”
Mayo spent 10 years coaching soccer at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna and now lives in Colorado, where she plans to return to work in K-12 education this fall as a middle school P.E. teacher.
