After their heartbreaking exit from title contention, France and England will look to muster up a final fight and hope to end with a win in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday.
France is playing this fixture for the first time since 1986, when it played Belgium, while England was at this stage in the 2018 World Cup, also facing Belgium.
The game will be officiated by Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela.
Saturday’s match will be Valenzuela’s fourth game this World Cup. He officiated the Round of 32 game between Norway and Ivory Coast, as well as two group-stage games. He brandished four yellow cards in these three games.
Valenzuela has been refereeing in the Venezuelan leagues since 2007. This edition of the tournament is his second FIFA World Cup. He had taken charge of a group-stage game and a Round of 16 game in the 2022 edition,.
The 42-year-old is a regular official in the Venezuelan first and second divisions, alongside the South American continental competitions, the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. The Venezuelan referee has also refereed at three Copa Americas, taking charge of group stage matches in the 2019, 2021, and 2024 editions.
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Published on Jul 18, 2026