Fifa U-turn Creates Chaos for England's World Cup Match Against Mexico
The plan was simple. Set the alarm for 12.30am, grab a few hours’ sleep, then stumble to the sofa or the nearest pub for a 1am kick-off. England fans, landlords and even the government had shaped their weekend around it.
Now nobody is quite sure when England will actually face Mexico in the last 16.
Fifa’s late backtrack on a proposed six-hour kick-off shift has plunged preparations for one of the World Cup’s marquee ties into confusion, angering both federations and leaving a nation – and its pubs – guessing.
Kick-off farce overshadows England’s build-up
The game at the Estadio Azteca was originally locked in for 6pm local time on Sunday, 1am BST on Monday. Then came the storm warnings over Mexico City and a dramatic twist: the match looked set to be moved forward to 12pm local, 7pm BST, to avoid the threat of flooding and severe weather.
Pubs in the UK had already been granted permission to stay open into the early hours for the 1am start. Broadcasters had built their schedules. Fans had booked time off work or steeled themselves for a bleary-eyed Monday.
Just as everyone adjusted to the idea of a Sunday evening kick-off, Fifa pulled back. The governing body is now understood to have reversed course on the time change, infuriating both the English and Mexican federations and throwing logistics back into disarray.
For players and coaches, routine is everything at this stage of a tournament. Meal times, sleep patterns, pre-match meetings – all of it is calibrated to the clock. For now, that clock is wobbling.
Kane drags England through – and looks ahead
England at least arrive in Mexico City with their captain in full voice and full flow.
Harry Kane’s late double against DR Congo in Atlanta dragged Thomas Tuchel’s side back from the brink and into the last 16, preserving not just England’s World Cup hopes but, quite possibly, the manager’s job.
The performance was flawed. The finish was ruthless.
“I want to enjoy this one, because I know there’s another extremely tough game coming in four days,” Kane said after the 2-1 win. “Mexico, in Mexico, is as big as it gets maybe in the World Cup.
“The atmosphere is going to be incredible. It’s going to be tough for many different reasons but ultimately, if you want to be world champions, you have to go through tough games, good teams, Mexico at home.”
He knows what awaits at the Azteca: altitude, heat, hostility and a Mexico side that has won every game so far.
“They’re playing at home,” he added. “We have to be ready.”
Gordon’s awe at a captain in Messi territory
Inside the England camp, Kane’s brilliance is no longer surprising. It is expected.
“You know what? As soon as he hit (the second goal), I knew it was going in,” Anthony Gordon admitted. “I was already celebrating.”
Gordon has watched close up as Kane has turned this season into something approaching the absurd.
“It’s more the consistency that he surprised me with,” he said. “Anyone can score a good goal, anyone at this level can put the ball in the top corner.
“This is the consistency that he does it. Every day in training. Every game. He is phenomenal. He plays at such a high, high level.
“It’s amazing to be around him every day, because when you’re around someone at the elite level – he’s at the very, very top of football, he’s having a season that’s only ever been beaten by Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer of all time. So that speaks to the level he’s playing at.
“When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level.
“It’s no accident, like I said, there’s consistency every day, how hard he works, every finishing drill.
“He does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never ever messes about. So it’s amazing to be around him. He’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.”
Shearer’s warning: England can’t just lean on Kane
Outside the camp, admiration is mixed with concern.
Alan Shearer, who knows better than most what it is to carry a nation’s hopes as a centre forward, did not sugarcoat his verdict on England’s display against DR Congo.
“It wasn't a good performance and I've got the same concerns as I had in the previous two or three games about us defensively,” the former England captain told the BBC.
On Kane’s winner, he was glowing.
“There's not many centre forwards in the world can produce that piece of magic,” Shearer said. “The way he turns and swivels – and the balance is incredible. Then to get the direction and the power into the roof of the net – that was some strike.”
But knockout football is merciless. Over-reliance on one man is a trap. Opponents grow stronger, game plans tighten, and the space for a single moment of magic shrinks.
At some point, even Kane might be contained. England need more.
Rice boost eases Tuchel’s nerves
Tuchel at least received one major piece of good news ahead of Mexico: Declan Rice is expected to be fit.
The midfielder, who has been managing nerve pain in his back across the tournament, was forced off towards the end of the win over DR Congo, sparking fears of a serious problem in the very area of the pitch England can least afford to lose control.
Tuchel moved quickly to calm those fears. Rice, he said, does not have an injury and should be ready for Sunday at the Azteca.
For England, it is a significant boost. Rice’s ability to screen the defence, manage transitions and dictate tempo will be vital in the thin air of Mexico City, where energy drains quicker and mistakes are punished harder.
Aguirre fumes as Mexico feel the strain
If England are irritated by the uncertainty around kick-off, Mexico are furious.
Manager Javier Aguirre is “quite angry” at the proposed time change, which has hovered over his side’s preparations as much as England’s. With Fifa and both associations discussing adverse weather and the risk of flooding, the original 6pm local start came under threat, only for the governing body to veer back towards the status quo.
The Azteca already offers its own quirks: altitude, swirling noise, a sense of history pressing in from the stands. Aguirre has also dismissed the idea that Mexico enjoy some grand advantage over Tuchel’s side in these conditions.
For the hosts, the stakes are enormous. A home World Cup, a perfect group stage, and now England in the first knockout round. The last thing they wanted was administrative turbulence on top.
A nation prepares for a sleepless night
Back in England, the country is bracing for a long, restless night – whenever the game kicks off.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that pubs across England and Wales will be able to stay open until 5am for the Mexico match, a special extension beyond the 2am limit already in place for England games during the tournament.
“Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” he said. “Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together.
“The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England!”
The government’s stance reflects the scale of the occasion. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has even been drawn into the debate over sleepy schoolchildren.
She insisted youngsters can both watch the early-morning match and still make it to class.
“It’s a late game, but children can be in school the next day,” she said, stressing that it remains a decision for individual families.
Tickets soar as fans chase Azteca dream
Some England supporters are determined not just to watch but to be there.
British Airways reported a staggering 2,000 per cent spike in searches on Thursday for flights from London to Mexico City, comparing levels at 5pm with those at the final whistle of the DR Congo match. The surge was most intense during the final hour of the game, with a 530 per cent jump between 6pm and 7pm as Kane’s two goals turned anxiety into belief.
That belief comes at a price.
Tickets for Mexico v England have soared to as much as $36,000 – around £27,300 – on Fifa’s resale platform, placing the tie among the most expensive World Cup knockout fixtures ever.
For those who make it, the reward is a seat at the iconic Azteca for one of the standout games of the tournament. For many more, it will be a night in front of the television, the kettle or the pint glass doing overtime.
They will not be alone. England’s dramatic win over DR Congo drew a peak audience of 16.3 million on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the biggest live TV audience in the UK so far in 2026. An average of 14 million watched as Kane struck late, the most-watched moment on the BBC this year.
Altitude, hostility and a defining test
Now comes Mexico. Altitude. Noise. A stadium haunted by the ghosts of 1986 and Diego Maradona’s contrasting double – the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century – and alive with a new generation desperate to write their own story.
England must handle the thin air, the hostile reception, the tactical questions Mexico will pose, and their own defensive frailties. They must also, somehow, avoid becoming a one-man team.
Kane is ready. Rice is expected to be ready. The pubs will be ready. The country, sleep-deprived or not, will be watching.
The only question left is whether England are about to take a giant step towards becoming world champions – or discover, in the Azteca’s unforgiving glare, exactly how far they still have to go.
