England’s last-16 World Cup showdown against Mexico is set to be brought forward by six hours to 7pm BST on Sunday evening, as fears of severe tropical storms and lightning in Mexico City force Fifa into a dramatic schedule rethink.
The match was originally scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday), but a significant risk of storms in the area has prompted ongoing discussions between the governing body and tournament officials. Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, first reported the change, and the BBC have also indicated they understand the game has been moved.
“England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico moved to 7pm BST Sunday due to severe storm warnings in Mexico City.”
Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay – a scenario that already affected France’s group-stage clash with Iraq and caused Mexico’s own last-32 match against Ecuador to be delayed by an hour earlier this week. Fifa regulations give the organisation the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”, and sources have confirmed to The Independent that Fifa are in ongoing talks over moving the kick-off earlier in the day due to the risk of weather disruption including flooding.
The new 12pm local time slot (7pm BST) promises much safer conditions, with forecasts of 21 degrees and cloudy skies, according to SunSport. The story first emerged from a source who works at the Estadio Azteca, and the FA were informed on Friday that moving the game forward is a possibility. BBC presenter Mark Chapman described the timing change as “very likely” during half-time coverage of Austria against Egypt.
For millions of fans back home, the shift is a relief. Pubs had been granted special permission to stay open until 5am under relaxed licensing laws introduced by outgoing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, but many have said they won’t adopt the new hours. All but five Wetherspoons branches will shut before kick-off. Tommy Higgs, co-owner of The Three Horseshoes pub in Witney, Oxfordshire, said: “We’re in a built-up community around here, and I think it’s just a little bit disrespectful for our locals to have that sort of noise at 5am. No one’s going to want to work until five in the morning. We’re not a nightclub, we’re a local pub in a small town, and I am not allowed to annoy my neighbours because I’ll be into holy hell with that.”
The earlier start has also prompted a wave of schools to let pupils come in late on Monday morning, with Thomas Tuchel himself calling on parents to let their children stay up to watch. The England manager said: “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch, there will be a big, big match in four days and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children.” Some schools, like Malmesbury Primary School in Wiltshire, will instead open early to screen a recording of the match, serving breakfast to pupils. The National Education Union has backed the plans, with general secretary Daniel Kebede describing the match as an “important event in our calendar”.
Fifa now face a scheduling headache, as the England game could overlap with Brazil’s last-16 clash against Norway, originally set for 9pm BST. Reports suggest Fifa will move that kick-off back by an hour to 10pm BST to avoid any clash – something the organisation normally avoids outside the final round of pool matches. The government has ruled out granting an extra bank holiday for fans to recover.