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Glen Williams

Who is England v USA referee Jesus Valenzuela, officially the best official in South America

England take on the USA in their second game at the World Cup on Friday night.

The clash takes place at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor and will kick-off at 7pm UK time on Friday, November 25.

Here, we take you through a guide on the referee and officials who will be in charge of the match:

Who is the referee for England v USA?

Jesus Valenzuela will take charge of the match. The 39-year-old made his professional refereeing debut in the Venezuelan First Division in 2011 and, in December last year, he was named the South American Football Confederation's best referee.

He whistled last year's Copa America semi-final match between Argentina and Colombia, which was settled by a dramatic penalty shootout, during which Lionel Messi scored the winner. He has also been entrusted with the whistle at the Tokyo Olympic Games and the South American World Cup qualifiers.

GET YOUR COPY: Get your brilliant 48-page Wales at the World Cup special

Who are the assistant referees for England v USA?

The assistants are Venezuelan duo Jorge Urrego , 41, and Tulio Moreno , 36.

Who is England v USA fourth official Yoshimi Yamashita?

The fourth official is Yoshimi Yamashita . The Japanese official is one of three women to officiate at the men's World Cup for the first time, which you can read more about here . Yamashita, 36, is the least experienced of the three women referees in Qatar, but she has taken part in some major games already, including the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the 2020 Olympics, played in 2021. She has refereed in each of Japan’s top three leagues, and is the first woman to referee a game in the AFC Champions League - the most prestigious club competition in Asian football - and the J1 League, which is the top level of professional football in Japan.

England v USA referee, assistants, fourth official and VAR in full

Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)

Assistant referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)

Assistant referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)

Fourth official: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)

Reserve assistant referee: Nueza Back (BRA)

Video assistant referee: Juan Soto (VEN)

Assistant video assistant referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)

Offside video assistant referee: Diego Bonfa ARG)

Support video assistant referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)

Standby assistant video assistant referee: Ezequiel Braislovsky (ARG)

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