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While both England’s and France’s World Cup journeys were cut short in the semi-finals, the pair of national teams will meet in another battle for third place. England fell to defending champion Argentina, 2-1, on Wednesday, and France lost, 2-0, to Spain on Tuesday.
France entered the World Cup as heavy favourites, seeking another shot at a title after losing to Argentina on penalties in 2022. England’s World Cup run inspired many as it reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2018, hoping to bring home its first World Cup trophy since 1966.
France’s run to the semi-finals convinced many fans that they had a clear shot at a World Cup final, especially with nine points from the group stage, 16 goals scored and just four conceded.
After a 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 16, a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 and a convincing 2-0 win over Morocco in the quarter-final, France had to face Spain for a place in the final. While France have yet to trail in any World Cup game in 2026, Spain’s 22nd-minute penalty set the tone for victory over Les Bleus.
England’s World Cup run started with a dominant 4-2 win over Croatia in the group stage, but a 1-1 draw against Ghana kept things interesting for the Three Lions. After an initial victory over Panama, England progressed to the round of 16 over DR Congo. Despite trailing 1-0 until the 75th minute, captain Harry Kane scored a late strike to send England through to the round of 16.
Against Mexico, star Jude Bellingham also scored a goal despite being a player for 40 minutes and progressed to the quarter-finals to face Norway. Against star Erling Haaland, England found their rhythm as Bellingham scored another goal to book a semi-final place against Argentina. However, Lionel and Messi ended England’s dreams of a World Cup title in their 2-1 victory.
Who are the referees for England vs France?
(Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Serving as the third-place match referee is Venezuelan-born Jesús Valenzuela. At 42, Valenzuela has refereed various tournaments between World Cups and Copa América tournaments.
Valenzuela is refereeing his second World Cup, where he officiated two matches in Qatar and is preparing for his fourth at the 2026 World Cup. Valenzuela previously refereed Australia’s 2-0 win over Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 3-1 win over Qatar and Norway’s 2-1 comeback win over Ivory Coast in the Round of 16. Although he has shown four yellow cards in the previous three matches, he is yet to show a red card in any World Cup match.
Both Kane and France star Kylian Mbappé have had previous meetings with Valenzuela. In 2022, Valenzuela was the center referee for England’s 0–0 draw against the USA in the group stage, as well as the main referee for France’s 3–1 round of 16 victory over Poland.
Next to Valenzuela will be assistant referees Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno, who are also Venezuelan-born.
Judge: Jesus Valenzuela
Assistant referee 1: Jorge Urrego
Assistant referee 2: Tulio Moreno
4. official: Jalal Jayed
Reserve assistant referee: Zakaria Brinsi
