Venezuelan Referee Jesús Valenzuela to Officiate Second 2026 World Cup Match

Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela has been selected by FIFA to officiate his second match of the 2026 World Cup, a group stage encounter between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar on June 24.

Valenzuela's first assignment in this tournament was the match where Australia defeated Turkey 2-0. He will be assisted by compatriots Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno as assistant referees. Yusuka Araki of Japan will serve as the fourth official, with Jun Mihara as the reserve assistant referee.

This marks Valenzuela's second World Cup appearance. He previously officiated in the 2022 tournament, where he was the head referee for the England vs. United States group stage match and later for the France vs. Poland round of 16 game.

In his first match of the 2026 tournament, Valenzuela managed a physically contested game between Australia and Turkey, which saw 16 fouls. He issued one yellow card to Turkey's Yunus Akgün in the 86th minute and did not have any red cards. He also utilized the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once during the match.