Who is Jesús Valenzuela, the referee for France vs England in the 2026 World Cup third and fourth place game?
He is the second Venezuelan to oversee a match as a central referee at a World Cup. This evening’s game in Miami will be his fourth game at this edition.
Miami is the stage for the penultimate game of the 2026 World Cup - the third-place match between France and England.
Both nations have been here before - France have played this game three times in previous editions, finishing third in 1958 and 1986, and fourth in 1982. England have been here twice before - finishing in fourth place at the 1990 and 2018 World Cups.
FIFA have assigned Venezuelan match official Jesús Valenzuela to referee the the third-place match between France and England at Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida on Saturday July 18. The game kicks of at 5 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast on FOX.
🇻🇪 • ¡De Venezuela para el mundo!
— Liga FUTVE (@LigaFUTVE) July 17, 2026
👏🏻 • Jesús Valenzuela sigue dejando huella en el plano internacional y ha sido designado para impartir justicia en el partido por el tercer lugar de la @FIFAWorldCup , junto a Jorge Urrego y Tulio Moreno como asistentes
💪🏻 • Un gran… pic.twitter.com/qgSIqDbygR
Who are the officials for the France vs England game?
Valenzuela will be assisted by compatriots Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno. Jalal Jayed (Morocco) will serve as the fourth official and Zakaria Brinisi (Morocco) as the Reserve Assistant referee.
Who is Jesús Valenzuela?
Valenzuela was born in Portuguesa, Venezuela on November 24, 1983. He made his top flight debut in the Week 7 Liga FUTVE game between Trujillanos and Táchira on March 8, 2008.
He has been a FIFA international referee since 2013 and has officiated in 14 finals, including the 2020 and 2023 Copa Sudamericana finals, the 2022 and 2025 Recopa Sudamericana finals as well as the 2025/26 UAE Super Cup.
He has also refereed in prestigious tournaments such as the Copa América, Club World Cup, Copa Libertadores and CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers
He made his World Cup debut at Qatar 2022, overseeing the group stage game between England and the United States. He was selected for the Round of 16 clash between France and Poland.
At the current tournament, Valenzuela has reffed two group games: Australia vs Turkiye, Bosnia vs Qatar and Round of 32 game between Ivory Coast and Norway.
He is only the second Venezuelan to officiate as the central referee at a World Cup after Vicente Llobregat, who oversaw one match at Germany 1974.
📌 Un árbitro venezolano pitará el partido por el tercer lugar del Mundial 2026. La FIFA designó a Jesús Valenzuela como el juez principal para el encuentro de la Copa del Mundo entre Francia e Inglaterra.
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) July 18, 2026
🔴 Oriundo de Acarigua, liderará un cuerpo arbitral con fuerte presencia… pic.twitter.com/THsbWSTMic
Has Valenzuela ever been involved in controversy?
Just once. He waved away Brazil’s appeals for a penalty when Vinicius was scythed down inside the box by Dani Muñoz during the 2024 Copa América group game against Colombia.
In general terms, he is a fairly lenient ref. At the current World Cup Jesús has shown just four yellow cards in the three matches he has officiated so far. He hasn’t sent anyone off or blown his whistle for a penalty.
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