^ ^ World Cup presenter says there’s ‘no way’ England vs Mexico kicks-off on time

England boss Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup (Picture: Getty)

England fans have been warned there is ‘no way’ the World Cup last-16 game against Mexico will kick-off on time.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, bidding to win their first World Cup since 1966, face co-hosts Mexico at 6pm local time on Sunday evening.

The time difference means millions of England fans are bracing themselves for a 1am kick-off in the early hours of Monday morning.

FIFA were for a few hours in talks with England and Mexico over moving the game to an earlier kick-off which would have seen the game start at 7pm UK time.

Don't miss a World Cup moment

England's hero (Picture:Getty)

What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.

Weather forecasts suggest there could be thunderstorms in Mexico City on Sunday evening, although this was not believed to be the primary reason for the proposed change.

Instead FIFA reportedly proposed the kick-off change for fan safety as they had been involved in planning and security discussions after four people died following Mexico’s last World Cup win over Ecuador, which started at 7pm local time in the same city.

But football decision-makers at England and Mexico were uneasy at the proposal and concerned over the impact on player preparation, fan travel and general logistics.

Tuchel inspects the Mexico City Stadium pitch (Picture: Getty)

As a result millions of England fans are preparing to stay away through the night or setting their alarms for the early hours of the morning to see if Tuchel’s side can advance to the quarter-finals.

Several reporters on the ground are still concerned by the weather forecast, however, and anticipate lengthy delays to the last-16 fixture.

Thunder and lightning delayed Mexico’s last-32 win over Ecuador by an hour and talkSPORT presenter Olivia Buzaglo expects similar scenes for England’s game.

Up Next

‘Being in Mexico City, you can understand why they wanted to change the kick off time,’ she posted on X.

‘It’s nearly 5pm here and it is absolutely hammering it down. Like properly. Absolutely no way the game kicks off at 6pm tomorrow. There’s been about 15 lightning bolts in half an hour.’

What’s the weather forecast in Mexico City?

‘Daily thunderstorms are normal in Mexico City at this time of year – but forecasts suggest the risk on Sunday is particularly high, and if those storms develop they could be severe,’ BBC Lead Weather Presenter Ben Rich said.

‘Mexican government forecasters say troughs – small-scale low pressure features – are expected in the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere over central parts of Mexico on Sunday, making the atmosphere very unstable.

English fan in Mexico – The Mexican 🇲🇽 weather is crazy – grey then sunny then it rains …. Mexico City is flooded this is why they wanted to move the time of the game !!! pic.twitter.com/ep8YcKk9JG

— Paul Brown 🇬🇧 Browns fan🏈 London News 🎥Vlogger (@PaulBrown_UK) July 4, 2026

‘As the sun heats the air close to the ground, that instability will allow the air to rise rapidly – forming the big cumulonimbus clouds that produce thunderstorms.

‘On Sunday these storms look likely to bring frequent lightning, and there is also the risk of hail.

‘Thunderstorm activity tends to peak around, or just after, the highest temperatures of the day – during the late afternoon and into the evening.

‘An earlier kick-off time would have allowed the match to take place before the worst of the thunderstorm activity gets going – although that is certainly not guaranteed.

‘There is still a chance of showers at midday, albeit the chance is smaller than it would be later in the day – and any showers that do develop would be less likely to grow into severe thunderstorms.’

More to follow…

Comments Add as preferred source

^ ^ Who could England play next in the World Cup if they beat Mexico? Possible route to final

England are four games from glory (Picture: Getty)

England are gearing up for a mouthwatering World Cup Round of 16 clash against Mexico tonight.

The co-hosts boast a formidable record at the legendary stadium having won 70 of their 89 competitive games at the Azteca, suffering only two defeats at home in the entire history of the stadium.

The showdown at the Azteca, which sits 7,220ft above sea level, is one of four games Thomas Tuchel’s men must win over the course of the next two weeks if they are to claim their first major trophy since 1966.

Here’s who, and when, England could play in the remainder of the World Cup knockout stages.

Don't miss a World Cup moment

England's hero (Picture:Getty)

What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.

Mexico are facing England for a place in the last eight (Picture: Getty)

Quarter-final

Should England achieve the seemingly impossible and beat Mexico, they will play either Brazil or Norway, who face each other this evening at 9pm.

The match would take place at 10pm on Saturday, July 11.

Facing Brazil would be a repeat of the 2002 quarter-final, which England infamously lost 2-1 courtesy of a Ronaldinho free-kick.

England and Norway, meanwhile, have never met at a major tournament before.

England could play Brazil in the last eight (Picture: Getty)

Semi-final

England would return to Atlanta, the location of their Round of 32 match, for a possible semi-final tussle with Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Wednesday, July 15 at 8pm.

The two great rivals have not played each other in a competitive game since a group stage meeting at the 2002 World Cup, which the Three Lions won 1-0.

Other potential semi-final opponents for England include Switzerland and Colombia.

Final

Spain or France – take your pick – could stand in the way of England winning their second World Cup and ending their 60 years of pain.

Other possible teams include Morocco, Portugal, USA or Belgium.

The final will take place in New York on Sunday, July 19, with kick-off at 8pm.

POLL

Will England win the World Cup?

• Yes - the wait will finally be over!
• No - it will be yet more disappointment!

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Email

I agree to receive newsletters from Metro

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Comments Add as preferred source

^ ^ The real reason FIFA wanted to change England vs Mexico World Cup kick-off time

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (Picture: Getty)

FIFA’s decision to try and reschedule England’s World Cup round-of-16 game against Mexico was reportedly not primarily due to weather concerns.

England’s match at the Azteca Stadium was originally planned to start at 6pm local time (1am Monday BST), before last-minute talks to move the kick-off time forward by six hours.

Several outlets in Mexico reported on Friday night that the decision had been made, although FIFA remained silent despite widespread confusion.

Both Mexico and England’s football federations appeared totally blindsided by the discussions, with England’s players told for the first time about the possibility by members of the media after their training session that day.

Don't miss a World Cup moment

England's hero (Picture:Getty)

What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.

And yet after five and a half hours of confusion for teams, fans and broadcasters, FIFA eventually decided to scrap any change and proceed with the scheduled kick-off time.

The organisation insisted that a change was considered due to forecasts of heavy thunderstorms and rain in the area during the match.

Earlier this week, Mexico’s win against Ecuador in the last-32 stage was delayed due to thunderstorms around Azteca Stadium, with the game kicking off an hour later than scheduled.

England will play Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday evening (Picture: Getty)

However, The Athletic reports that concerns around fan safety were actually the key factor in seeking an earlier kick-off time.

Discussions are said to have begun following Mexico’s win over Ecuador, which saw four home fans die during the post-match celebrations.

Talks then accelerated as concerns grew as to whether local organisers could enable the game – as well as any post-match celebrations – to pass without incident.

England trained in Kansas City before travelling to Mexico on Friday (Picture: Getty)

An earlier kick-off was seen as a way to avoid fans drinking all day in the build-up to the match, which could add to the possibility of post-match troubles.

The report adds that FIFA had virtually confirmed the move internally but ultimately shelved plans after public outcry from those involved, such as Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre.

Speaking to Radio Formula before FIFA rowed back the changes, he said: ‘This change feels like a kick in the stomach. Now we have to rethink everything.

Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre publicly condemned the potential changes (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s not like all the work we’ve done goes out the window, but it comes pretty close because we’re losing six hours that were part of our entire matchday plan.

‘I don’t like it at all. Obviously, we’ll comply with whatever FIFA decides, but neither my players nor I are happy about it.

‘There’s absolutely no advantage to playing at noon. None whatsoever. It really throws a wrench into everything.’

England forward Marcus Rashford had described the proposed change as ‘not ideal’, while Morgan Rogers added: ‘It’s just another obstacle to overcome. We’ll be ready regardless of the time.’

England have now arrived in Mexico City and were booed by home fans as their team bus made its way into their hotel.

There is expected to be roadblocks and increased security around England’s hotel after Mexican fans kept Ecuador’s players awake the night before their last-32 game.

Car horns, motorcycles and loudspeakers were used to disturb the players, with Ecuador eventually submitting a complaint to FIFA after their 2-0 defeat.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Comments Add as preferred source

^ ^ Ian Wright reveals huge problem Argentina have winning World Cup after Cape Verde scare

Wright believes Argentina’s weaknesses were exposed (Picture: ITV1)

Ian Wright has major doubts over Argentina’s hopes of winning the World Cup again after watching the defending champions pushed to the brink by Cape Verde.

In a World Cup clash for the ages, the tiny archipelagic country pushed one of the giants of world football all the way in an exhilarating last 32 clash in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Argentina took an early lead with Lionel Messi scoring his seventh of the competition before Deroy Durate levelled on the hour, sending the game to extra time.

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez fired Argentina back in front before Sidny Cabral curled home perhaps the goal of the competition to send Cape Verdeans and neutrals into delirium.  

Don't miss a World Cup moment

England's hero (Picture:Getty)

What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.

Argentina scored again in the second period of extra time with Cristian Romero’s header coming off Diney Borges – enough to send them through to the last 16.

Cape Verde had already held Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to draws and matched Argentina going forward in what will go down as one of the best underdog stories in World Cup history.

La Albiceleste won the competition four years ago in Qatar and have been firmly among the favourites to lift the trophy again this summer.

There was relief for the champions at full-time (Picture: Wu Zhizhao/VCG via Getty Images)

But former Arsenal and England striker Wright, who had Argentina as the one team who could possibly beat France, now believes the performance against Cape Verde exposed major weaknesses in the defending champions.

‘What Cape Verde has shown is that they [Argentina] are fallible,’ Wright told ITV1.

‘We know they are great, that they can dig in and that they are warriors. They have the best player in the world but what I would be looking at is they are there to be taken.

Cape Verde matched the champions (Picture: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

‘They are there to be beaten. If you can give the same kind of endeavour we saw Cape Verde give, but you have more quality in the final third, then Argentina are there to be beaten.

Cabral scored an extraordinary equaliser for Cape Verde (Picture: FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

‘I think in the wide areas they are very weak. you can get at them in those areas.’

Wright added Argentina were lucky to have 10 men on the pitch for extra-time with Romero, directly involved in the winner, perhaps lucky to not have been shown two yellow cards.

‘I think Romero was very fortunate, he should have been booked in the first half without a doubt. 

‘He got booked in the latter stages so he was lucky to be on the pitch and he ended up scoring one of the goals.’

Comments Add as preferred source

^ ^ World Cup: Rick & Lloyd Best Bits

We're now more than half way through the World Cup and Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith have quite rightly earned themselves a day off, so here's a chance to listen back to some of their best moments on the podcast so far.

TIMECODES: 0'27 - Lloyd's opening question in the BBC's first interview with an England player 4'40 - Rick & Lloyd on a tandem bike 8'37 - Steve Bracknall's appearance England v Croatia 13'42 - Ronaldo Humble Pie

^ ^ Real Madrid release astonishing statement on Enzo Fernandez transfer from Chelsea

Fernandesz has hinted at interest in a move to Spain (Picture: Getty Images)

Real Madrid have released a statement firmly denying any approach for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentina international is a transfer target for the Spanish giants with Jose Mourinho keen to add to their midfield following his return to the Bernabeu.

But Los Blancos insist they have not or do not intend to make any move for the Chelsea star.

A statement from the club said: ‘In light of the reports and statements that have appeared in recent days regarding an alleged interest from Real Madrid CF in the player Enzo Fernández, the club wishes to state that it has not made any effort, either direct or indirect, to sign the aforementioned player and, likewise, has no intention of undertaking such an operation.

Don't miss a World Cup moment

England's hero (Picture:Getty)

What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.

‘Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost respect for Enzo Fernández, a great footballer whose career and quality are widely known, as well as for Chelsea FC, a club with which it maintains an excellent institutional relationship.

‘Precisely because of the respect that an entity like Chelsea FC deserves and because of the principles of institutional loyalty that have always governed the actions of Real Madrid, the club considers it necessary to categorically deny speculations that are unfounded and do not correspond to reality.

‘Real Madrid regrets that, despite the clarity of the facts and the lack of any action on the part of the club, information continues to be disseminated that does not correspond to reality and that only contributes to generating confusion among fans and unnecessarily harming the entities and people involved.’

More to follow

Comments Add as preferred source