Katia Garcia Biography – Katia Garcia Wiki
Katia Itzel García has steadily built one of the most notable refereeing careers in international football, and her latest milestone places her in historic company. Born on September 1, 1992, in Mexico City, the Mexican official has been a FIFA referee since 2019 and has continued to rise through the sport’s biggest stages.
Her résumé already includes major global tournaments. García worked at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and later officiated at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she took charge of the bronze-medal match between Egypt and Morocco at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes.
She also made headlines in domestic football in 2024, becoming the first woman in more than two decades to referee a Liga MX men’s match, overseeing the meeting between Pachuca and Querétaro. That same year, her standing in the profession was reflected internationally, as the International Federation of Football History & Statistics ranked her the sixth-best referee in the world in both 2024 and 2025, while also recognizing her as Concacaf’s top referee.
FIFA World Cup 2026
In another high-profile assignment, García officiated the 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup final between Arsenal Women FC and SC Corinthians at Arsenal Stadium in London on February 1, 2026.
Now, FIFA has selected García as one of the lead referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a landmark appointment that makes her the first Mexican woman to officiate at a men’s FIFA World Cup. She is one of only two women chosen as lead referees for the tournament, alongside Tori Penso of the United States, who will become the first American woman to serve in that role at a men’s World Cup.
The Concacaf contingent also includes assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States, Sandra Ramirez of Mexico, and video match official Tatiana Guzman of Nicaragua. Together, the six officials represent the region on football’s biggest stage.
The 2026 tournament will be the largest FIFA World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Garcia and Penso will not only take charge of matches on soccer’s biggest stage but also serve as trailblazers for future generations of referees throughout Concacaf and beyond.
