England and France meet this weekend in the penultimate match of the World Cup. Defeat for both nations in their respective World Cup semi-finals means they will go head-to-head in Miami on Saturday night to decide who finishes third in a 48-team tournament.
How England and France reached the bronze final
England took the lead against Argentina on Wednesday night as Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock ten minutes into the second half. However, Thomas Tuchel's decision to make defensive changes ultimately backfired as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez struck late on to break the Three Lions' hearts in Atlanta.
France, meanwhile, were beaten 2-0 by Spain 24 hours prior courtesy of a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a goal from Tottenham defender Pedro Porro.
As such, England and France will be out to end on a high in a first-ever third-place play-off match - now known as the bronze final - between the two nations. This will be the fourth time they have met at a World Cup with Les Bleus knocking the Three Lions out at the quarter-final stage in Qatar four years ago as Harry Kane's missed penalty proved decisive.
Who is the referee for England vs France?
Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela will take charge of proceedings between England and France. He will be assisted by fellow Venezuelans Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno, with Morocco's Jalal Jayed serving as the fourth official. Zakaria Brinsi - also of Morocco - will be the reserve assistant.
Valenzuela has emerged as one of the top referees in South America over the last decade and received the IFFHS world's best referee from CONMEBOL in 2021, further elevating his profile.
Valenzuela's history with England and France
Due to mainly officiating in international competitions such as the Copa America and CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers as well as club tournaments such as the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, it means Valenzuela hasn't crossed paths with England and France players too often during his career. He was, however, the referee when England drew with the USA and when France beat Poland in the group stage at Qatar 2022, awarding a late penalty against Dayot Upamecano for handball. In addition, he was the fourth official when France beat Morocco in the World Cup semi-final four years ago.
Valenzuela has, though, shown Reece James a yellow card. This was last summer during the World Club Cup when Chelsea beat Los Angeles 2-0.
Other matches Valenzuela officiated at this World Cup
At the World Cup so far, Valenzuela has overseen Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar and Australia vs Turkey in the group stage as well as Norway's round of 32 win over Ivory Coast.
