The Football Association was left scrambling for clarity on Friday after learning through the media that England’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico is set to be moved from the early hours of Monday to 7pm on Sunday evening.
Fifa is in discussions over rescheduling the match at the Estadio Azteca, originally due to kick off at 1am BST (6pm local time), because of forecasts predicting thunderstorms and heavy rain around the original time. Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strike detected within eight miles of the stadium triggers an automatic 30-minute delay. The governing body has the power to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches at its sole discretion.
“England's World Cup tie against Mexico moved to 7pm Sunday after FA blindsided by Fifa's weather-related rescheduling talks.”
The proposed change – a six-hour shift to midday local time – took English and Mexican officials by surprise, according to sources. The FA had been planning as normal on Friday for Sunday’s game, with officials involved in planning and security discussions. England’s players had just finished a training session in Kansas City when news broke.
Winger Marcus Rashford described the prospect as “not ideal” but said the squad would deal with it. “We have to be focused. We have to be ready for anything,” he told reporters. Midfielder Morgan Rogers echoed that sentiment: “We’ll be ready regardless of the time. The earlier the better because you want to play.”
The change comes after France’s group-stage game against Iraq was delayed by more than two hours because of severe weather in Philadelphia. Local sources suggest Mexico City authorities may not be unhappy about the earlier kick-off, which would reduce the chance of overnight disturbances after wild celebrations followed Mexico’s first knockout win since 1986.
England fans who had planned to land in Mexico City on Sunday morning face disruption, and there are concerns about the notoriously poor air quality in the middle of the day. The projected temperature at midday is 21C, compared with 16C at 7pm.
The match will be broadcast live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website. The late switch also comes just days after Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed pubs across England and Wales could stay open until 5am for England’s overnight World Cup fixtures.
England are scheduled to fly from Kansas City to Mexico City on Friday afternoon to satisfy a Fifa request to train at the Azteca on Saturday. The stadium sits 7,220ft above sea level, where Mexico have lost only twice in 89 matches.