Jesús Valenzuela referees Norway‑Ivory Coast World Cup 2026 round of 16

Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela officiated the World Cup 2026 round‑of‑16 match between Norway and Ivory Coast at Dallas' AT&T Stadium on 30 June. Norway secured a 2‑1 victory to advance to the quarter‑finals.

Valenzuela, part of an all‑Venezuelan officiating crew with Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno and supported by VAR official Juan Soto, managed the high‑intensity game with only a single yellow card shown. The match marked his third appearance in a senior World Cup tournament, following assignments in the group stage and a previous round‑of‑16 (France‑Poland) at Qatar 2022. His performance was praised for maintaining flow while enforcing discipline, underscoring Venezuela’s growing reputation among FIFA’s top referees.