Philadelphia Soccer Referee Kathryn Nesbitt Tackles the World Cup

Philadelphia soccer referee Kathryn Nesbitt has managed to compile quite a resume in the last four years after officially making it her full-time job, writes Jonathan Tannenwald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Nesbitt was the first woman to officiate a CONCACAF Men’s World Cup qualifying game. She also worked an MLS Cup and CONCACAF Men’s Gold Cup final. She refereed the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cups as well as the 2022 Men’s World Cup. 

Last year, she gained global prominence as a reserve assistant for the World Cup final. And this year in Australia, she was a sideline official for the final. 

In the past, Nesbitt split her time between teaching chemistry and keeping order on the field. She moved to Philadelphia in 2019, after deciding to fully focus on soccer. 

“I loved it and was getting these incredible opportunities, and I just wasn’t sure how far I could take both of these things at the same time, until there was kind of a turning point for me,” said Nesbitt.

“I kind of knew that I had something special going on with refereeing, and I wanted to see what would happen if I put all my time and effort into it.” 

Read more about Kathryn Nesbitt in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

More about Kathryn Nesbitt.