Who is referee for England vs France? Three Lions reunite with official in World Cup third place play-off

England’s World Cup third place play-off against France on Saturday night will be under the watchful eye of a familiar face.

The referee for the Three Lions‘ clash has previously taken charge of one of their games at a past tournament.

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Thomas Tuchel‘s side are being forced to play one more match following semi-final heartbreak before heading home.

They were beaten 2-1 by Argentina on Wednesday after two late goals knocked them out in devastating fashion.

It means they’re playing in the third place play-off this weekend – and here’s who will be on the whistle for the game…

Who is referee for England vs France?

Jesus Valenzuela is the referee for England vs France.

The Venezuelan official will be in charge of the third place play-off that is going to be played in Miami, Florida.

So far at the 2026 World Cup, Valenzuela has refereed three games, including one in the knockout stages.

He oversaw group stage clashes between Australia and Turkey, and between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar.

Then he also took charge of Norway vs Ivory Coast in the last 16, handing out four yellow cards across his matches.

Valenzuela will now referee England’s clash with France, with him previously taking charge of another Three Lions tie at the World Cup, the 0-0 draw against the United States in 2022.

The 42-year-old usually officiates in South America, while also working in Saudi Arabia and the US, where he refereed one Manchester City and one Chelsea match at the Club World Cup.

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England vs France: talkSPORT coverage

The World Cup third place play-off will be played on the day before the final, on Saturday, July 18 at 10pm BST.

talkSPORT will have live commentary of the game with Sam Ellard, Nigel Adderley and former England defender Micky Gray.

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