England’s preparations for their massive World Cup meeting with Mexico have been shaken up after news of a last-minute schedule change emerged that would see the match moved 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, the game is set to be played at 7pm BST on Sunday afternoon due to a storm threat in Mexico City.
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:
Mexico boss furious at Fifa over proposed World Cup kick-off change vs England
Fifa and the Mexican and English football associations are in talks over the scheduled kick-off time, with the consideration of adverse weather and the prospect of flooding in Mexico City.
It is the latest wildcard factor to a game which will be influenced by the impact of altitude on both sets of players, while reports suggested that the time could change from 6pm local time (1am BST on Monday) to 12pm local time (7pm BST).
England vs Mexico could be back to original kick-off time
Hold on…
The kick-off time for England vs Mexico may be staying as it is, according to new reports from Mexico.
A claim by the Mexico team’s correspondent for Televisa – the company that own the Estadio Azteca – is circulating that Fifa have backed down over the fixture change and that kick-off will remain at 1am BST.
Both England and Mexico’s federations are said to be annoyed.
Can Fifa reschedule World Cup matches?
Fifa do have the power to reschedule matches at the World Cup.
The world footballing governing body’s regulations for World Cup 2026 state it has the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”.
Fifa don’t appear to have to jump through many hoops to get things like this changed, to the potential dismay of its competing teams.
What’s being said in Mexico
“The information that we have is that the [kick-off] time is going to change,” said Joe Morales, a reporter for Mexican outlet Claro Sports.
“The quarter-final match is going to change this Sunday, it will not be played at 6pm but rather at 12pm. This is the information that we have at the moment, [from] different sources in the Federation and also in Fifa.”
It’s also reported that the schedule change has already been approved rather than just being in the works.
Sources – Fifa in ongoing discussions over England vs Mexico kick-off change
Sources have confirmed to The Independent that the governing body are in ongoing discussions over moving the kick-off time to earlier in day on Sunday due to risk of weather disruption including flooding.
Full story: England v Mexico kick-off time at World Cup set to be brought forward due to storm risk
Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, have suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) will now start at 7pm BST (12pm local) instead. The BBC are also reporting that they understand the game has been brought forward.
That is because of a significant risk of storms in the area when the match is currently scheduled and Mexico already saw their last-32 match against Ecuador earlier this week delayed due to rain.
Potential clash with Brazil vs Norway?
A 7pm BST start could pose problems for Fifa, with the last-16 clash between Brazil and Norway scheduled to start at 9pm BST.
If the England match went to extra time, or even if there was a particularly large amount of injury time, then the two matches could overlap – something Fifa avoids at World Cups outside of the final round of pool matches.
As a result, ESPN are reporting that the Brazil vs Norway match will be moved from 4pm to 5pm local time (10pm BST).
Still feels tight!
Britain had been bracing for early-morning kick-off
Outgoing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has relaxed licensing laws to allow pubs in the UK to stay open until 5am, for the 1am kick-off, and it is unclear how a change would affect that decision.
There is also an ongoing debate over whether children should be allowed to start school later on Monday morning in order to watch the match.
Fifa yet to confirm scheduled change
Fifa is yet to confirm or deny that the kick-off time has been moved but an earlier start would suit fans at home in England, with 7pm being much more palatable than the wee small hours.
England vs Mexico could be moved due to storm threat
Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, have suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) will now start at 7pm BST (12pm local) instead. The BBC are also reporting that they understand the game has been brought forward.
That is because of a significant risk of storms in the area when the match is currently scheduled and Mexico already saw their last-32 match against Ecuador earlier this week delayed due to rain.
