Top News

England’s World Cup Round of 16 encounter with Mexico will proceed as originally scheduled, following a period of uncertainty sparked by reports suggesting the fixture could be brought forward.

The clash will officially kick off at 1am UK time, after hours of confusion when it was claimed that the match might instead start at 7pm UK time.

Concerns over potential thunderstorms and flooding in Mexico City had prompted speculation in local media that the game could be shifted seven hours earlier to 12 noon local time (7pm UK time).

When those reports began circulating, FIFA had yet to issue a confirmation, and both the Mexican Football Federation and The Football Association were reportedly unaware of any proposed timing adjustments.

Thomas Tuchel and his England squad departed from their Kansas City training base for Mexico City uncertain whether their Round of 16 tie would be brought forward by six hours.

However, after objections from both national teams, officials concluded that altering the schedule within 48 hours of kick-off would be logistically unfeasible. The complexities of coordinating with local police, military, match officials, teams, and fans made such a last-minute change impossible.

Officials also noted that an earlier start could adversely affect England’s preparations, as Mexico City’s air quality is denser during the day, potentially hindering player performance.

Eventually, it was confirmed that the match will commence at 6pm local time (1am UK time) as originally planned, with no further changes.

When news of a possible rescheduling first broke, Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre voiced his frustration in an interview with Radio Formula. He said, “It’s a kick in the stomach. This changes everything. They informed me about it here, I don’t agree, but FIFA calls the shots and we have to accept it.”

Meanwhile, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville slammed FIFA for the confusion just two days before the crucial game. Speaking to ITV, he said, “I would find it disruptive as a player. Conditions are huge for England in a tournament. We know that. We talk about heat a lot.”

“Playing at 12pm in Mexico versus playing at 6pm is very, very different. For our players, it’s worse — let’s be clear. It’s a sporting disadvantage to England.”

He continued, “I’ve never seen it before. FIFA are just willy-nilly moving a game. There’s a sporting integrity issue here as well because I’ve never seen even a League Two match moved like this. It just feels rather strange.”

“You can justify it by citing fan safety, but this stadium has experienced similar weather conditions before and has established procedures to handle them.”

“We know games can be disrupted. My brother was managing Inter Miami a few years ago, and I attended a match that was delayed for an hour due to weather. Everyone took shelter and resumed later. But to move a World Cup game two days before kick-off — I’ve never seen that happen at any level.”

Notably, Mexico’s Round of 32 fixture against Ecuador had been delayed earlier in the tournament because of an electrical storm, while France’s group stage match with Iraq was also postponed by two hours due to severe thunderstorms.