Sports
England World Cup clash vs Mexico STAYS at 1am as Gary Neville and manager slam FIFA for hours of confusion
England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico will remain at its scheduled time of 6pm local time (1am UK time) on Sunday in Mexico City.
Key takeaways
- England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico will not be moved from its 6pm local time slot.
- Mexican media reported the game could be moved seven hours earlier due to weather disruption risks.
- A kickoff change inside 48 hours was determined to be logistically impossible due to planning with police, military, teams, officials, and fans.
- An earlier kickoff would have had a detrimental impact on England due to denser air quality earlier in the day.
- Moving the game to 12pm would have created a sporting disadvantage for England due to heat conditions.
England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico will remain at its scheduled time of 6pm local time (1am UK time) on Sunday in Mexico City. Reports from Mexican media had suggested the game might be brought forward seven hours to 12pm local time due to risks of thunderstorms and flooding. The potential change caused widespread confusion, with England manager Thomas Tuchel and his squad flying to Mexico City without knowing the kickoff time, and Mexican coach Javier Aguirre expressing anger. Ultimately, the shift was ruled logistically impossible within 48 hours of the match.
In their words
“It's a kick in the stomach. This changes everything.”
“Playing at 12pm in Mexico versus playing at 6pm is very, very different. So for the players, for our players, it's worse - let's be really clear. It's a sporting disadvantage to England.”
By the numbers
- 1am
- Kick-off time in the UK for the match
- 6pm
- Local kick-off time in Mexico City
- 48 hours
- Timeframe making a schedule change logistically impossible
- 2 hours
- Delay duration for France's match against Iraq
How it unfolded
- Reports emerge of potential England vs Mexico schedule change
- Tuchel's squad flies to Mexico City amid timing confusion
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Common questions
- What happened with FIFA?
- England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico will not be moved from its 6pm local time slot.
- Where can I read the original report?
- Read the full report at fourfourtwo.
