Mexico vs England kickoff moved to noon over weather threat
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- FIFA is in ongoing discussions to move the Mexico vs. England kickoff to 12 p.m. local time (7 p.m. UK / 2 p.m. ET) on Sunday to avoid weather disruption including flooding, sources told ESPN.
- FIFA invoked last year's Club World Cup, which was hit by six major weather delays across 63 matches, as a precedent for acting preemptively on the Mexico-England fixture.
- FIFA's World Cup regulations (Article 6.9) reserve the governing body's right to cancel, reschedule, or relocate matches at its sole discretion for safety, security, or force majeure reasons.
- Morgan Rogers said an earlier kickoff is preferable — "earlier the better because you want to play" — while joking he "won't be happy if it wakes me up," as England are coming off a round-of-32 win over DR Congo.
- Marcus Rashford said England must "be focused" and "ready for anything," calling adaptability to scheduling changes "one strength of the group."
- Thomas Tuchel conceded England "cannot adapt" to the altitude at Azteca Stadium, which sits more than 2,000 meters above sea level, calling it "a huge advantage" for Mexico with only three days between matches.
- England face hostility outside their team hotel and an intimidating Azteca atmosphere in addition to the altitude, with Tuchel acknowledging "a lot, a lot, a lot of obstacles" awaiting his squad.
- The Azteca Stadium hosts the knockout match after FIFA moved kickoff earlier in the day, a venue more than 2,000 meters above sea level that Tuchel identified as Mexico's biggest physical edge.
Why it matters: England now face two simultaneous disadvantages at a knockout match: a rescheduled kickoff that compresses their three-day turnaround from the DR Congo win, and the 2,000-meter altitude at Azteca that Tuchel publicly admitted his side cannot acclimatize to in time — handing Mexico a physical edge in front of a hostile home crowd.
