Over nine million stay up until 4am to watch England’s World Cup epic against Mexico

More than nine million people in the UK stayed awake until 4am to watch England beat Mexico in the World Cup last 16, the biggest television audience ever recorded for a live broadcast between 2am and 4am. Thomas Tuchel’s side reached the quarter‑finals with the victory, a result that prompted David Squires’s latest cartoon in the Guardian. Squires drew on England’s classic in Mexico alongside a Donald Trump novelty, as the US slumped out of the tournament. The huge overnight viewership underscores the nation’s deep engagement with the team’s progress, even at the cost of a full night’s sleep.