Golden Eagle grad Brooke Mayo selected to officiate at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Mayo was a member of Tech's soccer team from 2007 to 2010, earning the TTU Athletics Woman of the Year in 2011
By Jonathan Frank, TTU Communications and Marketing
When Tennessee Tech University alumna Brooke Mayo learned she had been selected as an assistant referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, she was still in bed.
Her phone kept buzzing.
On the other end were two familiar voices — fellow referees and longtime officiating partners Tori Penso and Kathryn Nesbitt.
"I answered and asked, 'Is it good news?'" Mayo recalled with a laugh.
It was.
For Mayo, a 2011 Tech graduate and former Golden Eagle soccer standout, the call marked another milestone in a journey that has carried her from the fields of Cookeville to the world's biggest stages in sport.
While the appointment represents Mayo's first men's World Cup, it is hardly her first experience under the global spotlight.
She previously served as an assistant referee during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, officiated at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and worked matches during the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. She was also named U.S. Soccer's 2025 Female Referee of the Year.
Still, she says the nerves have not disappeared.
"You're only as good as your last performance," Mayo explained. "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."
Long before she was officiating international matches, Mayo was building her competitive foundation at Tech.
A native of Texas, Mayo played women's soccer for the Golden Eagles from 2007 to 2010 while working toward her degree in exercise science, culminating in her recognition as Tech's 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year.
She says her years at Tech shaped far more than her athletic ability.
"First of all, you learn discipline," said Mayo. "You've got to get up at 5:30 a.m. and show up to the weight room."
Beyond discipline, she credits Tech with teaching lessons that continue to influence her work at the highest levels of 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, and I learned that by playing on a soccer team for four years at a high level."
Mayo has long balanced her officiating career with service as an educator and coach. She spent a decade at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna coaching boys' and girls' soccer before stepping away from other professional responsibilities ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup to focus exclusively on officiating.
Now living in Colorado, Mayo will return to K-12 education this fall as a middle school P.E. teacher.
As her international refereeing career approaches its later chapters, Mayo is already thinking about how to invest in the next generation. She hopes for another opportunity to officiate the Women's World Cup in Brazil but says mentoring younger referees has become increasingly important.
"I love coaching referees," Mayo said. "Referees need coaches as well, and we're starting to invest in that."
She credits leaders like Kari Seitz, vice president of refereeing for U.S. Soccer and one of the sport's most respected figures, for helping expand training and development opportunities.
Even from afar, Mayo says she continues to cheer for Tech athletics and maintains close friendships from her student-athlete days. Tech's recent successes — including the women's soccer team's 2025 OVC championship win, the university's soon-to-open football stadium and its upcoming move to the Southern Conference — remain a frequent topic among former teammates.
"I'm very proud," Mayo said. "We love it. I still keep up with so many of my former teammates. We see Tech doing really well, and it's a good reason to reach out."
She remains especially proud to watch longtime friend and current Tech women's soccer head coach Corey Boyd succeed in his role.
"When I see his team win, I'll reach out and say, 'Hey, I'm so proud of you,' and he'll do the same for me," she said.
For Mayo, whose officiating career has now carried her to soccer's grandest stages, the connection to Tech remains as strong as ever.
"I can't imagine having gone to any other university. I feel like it was meant to be," Mayo said in a previous interview on Tech's College Town Talk podcast. "I learned the tools needed to be successful and I'm really thankful for my time at Tennessee Tech."
