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With England and France’s World Cup runs cut short in the semi-finals, the two national teams will face off in an extra match for third place. England lost to defending champions Argentina 2-1 on Wednesday, and France lost 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday.
France entered the World Cup as heavy favorites and were looking for another title shot after losing to Argentina on penalties in 2022. England’s World Cup run has inspired many by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2018, hoping to win their first World Cup trophy since 1966.
France’s run to the semi-finals convinced many fans that they had a clear chance of qualifying for a World Cup final, notably with nine points in the group stage, 16 goals scored and just four goals conceded.
After a 3-0 victory against Sweden in the round of 16, 1-0 against Paraguay in the round of 16 and a convincing 2-0 victory against Morocco in the quarter-finals, France had to face Spain for a place in the final. With France yet to trail in any match at the 2026 World Cup, Spain’s 22nd-minute penalty set the tone for their victory against Les Bleus.
England’s World Cup started with a dominant 4-2 win over Croatia in the group stage, but a 1-1 draw against Ghana made things interesting for the Three Lions. After a decisive victory against Panama, England qualified for the round of 16 against DR Congo. Despite trailing 1–0 until the 75th minute, captain Harry Kane scored a late brace that sent England through to the round of 16.
Against Mexico, star Jude Bellingham also scored a brace, despite being down one player for 40 minutes and advanced to the quarter-finals to face Norway. Facing star Erling Haaland, England found their rhythm as Bellingham scored another brace to clinch a place in the semi-final against Argentina. However, Lionel and Messi ended England’s dreams of winning the World Cup in their 2-1 win.
Who are the referees for England versus France?
(Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The chief referee of the third place matches is Jesús Valenzuela, of Venezuelan origin. At 42, Valenzuela has refereed various tournaments between the World Cups and the Copa América tournaments.
Valenzuela is officiating at his second World Cup, where he officiated two matches in Qatar and is preparing for his fourth at the 2026 World Cup. Valenzuela has previously officiated Australia’s 2-0 victory over Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 3-1 victory over Qatar and Norway’s 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in the round of 16. Despite receiving four yellow cards in the previous three matches, he is yet to show a red card in a World Cup match.
Kane and French star Kylian Mbappé have already had meetings with Valenzuela. In 2022, Valenzuela was the central referee in England’s 0–0 draw against the United States in the group stage, as well as the head referee in France’s 3–1 round of 16 victory over Poland.
Alongside Valenzuela will be assistant referees Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno, also of Venezuelan origin.
Arbitrator: Jesus Valenzuela
Assistant referee 1: Jorge Urrego
Assistant referee 2: Tulio Moreno
4th Official: Jalal Jayed
Reserve assistant referee: Zakaria Brinsi
