American referee Kathryn Nesbitt is set to become the first ever woman to officiate a round of 16 match at the men's FIFA World Cup.She will join David Moran as the two assistants supporting Ivan Barton in England's match against Senegal this evening.Nesbitt is another history-making woman in Qatar, after trailblazer Stéphanie Frappart became the first female to referee a men's World Cup match earlier in the week. Frappart took charge of Germany's thrilling 4-2 win over Costa Rica, alongside her assistants Neuza Back and Karen DÃaz Medina.
Who is World Cup official Kathryn Nesbitt?
Nesbitt is used to making history as a female official.
In December 2020, she became the first woman to referee a championship match in a professional men's sports game in North America. She was in charge of the MLS Cup tie between Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders.
Earlier that year, Nesbitt was also named the MLS Assistant Referee of the Year.
Now, she is ready to mark another major milestone in her career as she prepares to take to the field for England vs Senegal.
NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 29: Major League Soccer assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt walks on the field before the match between the Nashville SC and the Atlanta United at Nissan Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
"Everyone has their own path," Nesbitt told FIFA.com last year. "I started as a kid as a summer job, and that kept me involved in soccer and eventually kept me involved in sports. I really liked staying active.
"It can be competitive in its own sense as well, so to have those opportunities to strive to be the best at something in kind of an athletic form was great for me, so that’s really what pushed me to keep moving forward with it."
Nesbitt first started refereeing full-time at the 2019 Women's World Cup. Before that, she was a professor of chemistry.
She spent ten years leading her own research and started a lab at the Towson University in Baltimore.
"My background in research is on figuring out better ways to analyse brain chemicals, and our lab focused on developing, improving and optimising the techniques for sampling brain chemicals and then analysing them," she explained.
Outside the football pitch, Nesbitt's passion and background lies in analytical chemistry and teaching, which she says actually helps her role as a referee.
"Specifically for me, you’re constantly making decisions and they’re not always black and white.
"It’s about being able to take in a lot of data at one time — how a tackle actually happens, the player’s reaction, what’s going on in the game — and make the best decisions.
"Referees are also incredibly dedicated to their role as well. We take games just as seriously as the players. Our preparation is actually quite similar to what they’re doing."
Check out our 2022 World Cup hub for all the latest updates
When do England play Senegal?
England punched their ticket to the last 16 after topping Group B with seven points. Two wins and a draw saw them finish above group runners-up USA and hand early exits to Iran and Wales.
Senegal also banked two wins in the group stages but a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands saw them finish second in Group A.
DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 29: England splayer Declan Rice smiles as striker Marcus Rashford celebrates with team mates after scoring the first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and England at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The two will meet tonight at 19.00 GMT to fight for a place in the quarter-finals. Senegal will equal their best ever performance at a World Cup if they can see off the Three Lions.
England will be looking to progress further in the competition and better their result from Russia 2018, where they finished fourth.
You can find all the latest football news stories and exclusives right here.
Quiz: How many of these 'streets won't forget' World Cup players can you name?