England face Mexico at 1am as France seal first World Cup quarter-final spot

France became the first side to reach the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals after beating Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, setting up a last-eight clash with Morocco, who eliminated hosts Canada earlier in the day.

England’s route into the quarter-finals runs through Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, with kick-off confirmed for 1am on Monday morning. The timing had been in doubt on Friday after reports of a potential earlier slot due to the threat of thunder and lightning, but the schedule has since been locked in.

The winners of that tie will face either Brazil or Norway, who meet at 9pm on Saturday. A victory for England would set up a potential semi-final against Argentina, provided Lionel Messi’s side overcome Egypt in the last-16 and then navigate a quarter-final against either Colombia or Switzerland.

On the opposite side of the draw, France’s path to the final could run through Spain, Portugal, Belgium, or the United States, with those four nations still to play their last-16 ties.

Remaining last-16 fixtures:

Brazil vs Norway kicks off at 9pm on Saturday. Mexico vs England follows at 1am on Monday. Spain vs Portugal is scheduled for 8pm on Monday, with USA vs Belgium at 1am on Tuesday, Argentina vs Egypt at 5pm, and Switzerland vs Colombia at 9pm.

Quarter-final schedule:

France vs Morocco is set for 9pm on Thursday. The Spain/Portugal vs USA/Belgium tie follows at 8pm on Friday. Mexico or England face Brazil or Norway at 10pm on Saturday, and Argentina or Egypt meet Colombia or Switzerland at 2am on Sunday.

The semi-finals are scheduled for Tuesday, 14 July and Wednesday, 15 July, both at 8pm UK time. England, should they progress that far, would feature in the Wednesday fixture. The World Cup final takes place on Sunday, 19 July, with an 8pm UK kick-off.