England’s preparations for their massive World Cup meeting with Mexico have been shaken up by uncertainty surrounding the kick-off time after Fifa backtracked on moving the match forward by six hours.
The country was bracing for an early morning 1am BST kick-off, with pubs in the United Kingdom allowed to stay open until the early hours – but in a late twist, kick-off looked set to be changed to 7pm BST on Sunday afternoon due to a storm threat in Mexico City. However, it’s now understood that Fifa have gone back on these plans with both England and Mexico’s federations irate.
England are in the last 16 after Harry Kane’s double saved Thomas Tuchel’s side – and perhaps the manager’s job – against DR Congo after falling behind early in Atlanta, but a far tougher test is to come.
The Mexico clash will provide a unique challenge with altitude and an anticipated hostile reception providing added factors for the England squad as they prepare for the Estadio Azteca – scene of Diego Maradona’s contrasting double in 1986. Declan Rice has been declared fully fit in a significant injury boost, while England are also plotting to avoid the impact of a boisterous set of Mexico supporters at their hotel.
Follow all the build-up to Sunday’s exciting tie with co-hosts Mexico:
The change Thomas Tuchel has made to England’s World Cup plans to combat Azteca altitude
Thomas Tuchel admitted that England will also have to battle against the challenges of altitude for such a huge match, and how Mexico are so accustomed to it.
The Azteca stands at 2,240 meters above sea level. When asked whether this was unfair, the German said: “Yes, it’s a huge advantage”.
Tuchel did admit that England changed plans as a consequence. Having flown back to their Kansas City base after the Atlanta win over Democratic Republic of Congo, the squad will fly on Friday afternoon – rather than the usual trip the day before the game – in order to find some kind of balance within the constraints and the recommendations for the best preparation for altitude.
“We will go one night earlier. It makes sense,” he said. “The ball will fly differently. It will fly maybe five yards more. It’s just difficult. We just need the experience.
“The recommendation is you either go 10 days before – which is too long for us – or last minute, which is not allowed. We have spoken to teams who do it and they say they travel very very late on match day if they can’t have time to adapt. Find a mixture in between. It will stay as a disadvantage.”
‘It catches you off guard’: The true impact of Azteca altitude for England against Mexico
England have overcome several World Cup obstacles already this summer – yet Thomas Tuchel is fully aware of the seismic challenge that awaits at the cauldron that is the Azteca Stadium in the last-16.
The co-hosts have been whipped up into a piping-hot frenzy over the last three weeks, unleashed most impressively in their last-32 victory against Ecuador. Following a weather delay, the rampant Julian Quinonez and Raul Jimenez landed a pair of haymakers to leave their South American opponents dazed.
Yet England’s most daunting task on Sunday night could well be the conditions, with altitude set to be a great leveller with Mexico City’s iconic Azteca situated 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level.
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With Germany’s shock exit on penalties to Paraguay and Morocco’s stunning victory over the Netherlands, the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico has already been one of the most unpredictable World Cups in recent memory.
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England’s route to the World Cup final
Based off Fifa rankings, and probability, here’s what England’s route to the World Cup final could look like – with Mexico first up:
Round of 16
5 July: England vs Mexico | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Quarter-final
11 July: England vs Brazil | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Semi-final
15 July: England vs Argentina | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
19 July: England vs Spain | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
The 10 (not entirely serious…) right-back options Thomas Tuchel should consider
Four games, five right-backs, perhaps only one of them with a genuinely preferred position of right-back…
And given that Tino Livramento was in the original squad and Ben White might have been but for injury, there could have been still others.
But if Thomas Tuchel needs a sixth right-back of the World Cup for the upcoming trip to Mexico’s Azteca Stadium, who should he choose?
Allow Richard Jolly to present the options…
Gary Neville blasts Fifa for England vs Mexico kick-off confusion
“I would find it disruptive as a player,” Neville told ITV Sport. “Conditions are huge for England, playing at 12pm in Mexico vs playing at 6pm, it’s very different, for our players, it’s worse, let’s be clear.
“It’s a sporting disadvantage to England, there’s a sporting integrity issue here. I’ve never seen a League Two game moved back, Fifa are just willy nilly making it up and moving a game, it feels strange.
“You can put fan safety at the heart of it, this is a stadium that has had this type of conditions before, they have a procedure to deal with it.
“I was there when my brother was managing Inter Miami. It can be disrupted for an hour, they go underneath, they get shelter. To move a game two days out, I’ve never seen that at any level of football ever.”
England must beware Mexico’s dangerman – but this wildcard could light up the Azteca
But for all of the noise and the expectation surrounding this game, and besides the best efforts of Mexican fans to find out where England are staying so they can ‘welcome’ them with the same fireworks and Mariachi bands that they welcomed the Ecuadoreans – leading to a formal complaint to FIFA – this is a match which will be won on the pitch.
For what it’s worth, concerns about all of the above are still valid. The altitude will play a factor, especially as England appear to have arrived in almost the worst window possible, 48 hours before kick-off. The aura of the Azteca is unmistakable and the atmosphere will play a part. The fans will be loud and proud and relentless.
The Mexico dangermen threatening England’s World Cup hopes
What are the World Cup weather rules?
Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay to play, something that affected France’s group-stage clash with Iraq.
These rules were set in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Any strike within eight miles starts a countdown of 30 minutes, which resets every time another lightning strike happens. If half an hour has passed, the players would re-enter the fray with a 15-minute warm-up before continuing the game.
England’s friendly with Costa Rica last month in Orlando was delayed by one hour due to heavy rain and the prospect of lightning. Six matches at last year’s Fifa Club World Cup in the USA were halted due to electrical storms.
England v Mexico kick-off time at World Cup to stay the same after chaotic few hours
The kick-off time of England’s last-16 clash with Mexico at the World Cup 2026 will stay the same having initially seemed likely to be brought forward by six hours in order to avoid potential storms in Mexico City,
Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, had initially suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) would instead start at 7pm BST (12pm local).
However, new reports indicate that the anger from the English and Mexican FAs, when they learned of the proposed change without being consulted first, means Fifa are set to backtrack on the proposal and stick with the original time, in frankly farcical scenes.
