England given National Guard escort in Mexico City ahead of World Cup last-16 clash at Azteca

England have been assigned Mexican National Guard protection at their Mexico City hotel as they prepare for Sunday’s World Cup 2026 last-16 tie against the co-hosts at the Estadio Azteca, with kick-off confirmed for 6pm local time (1am BST Monday).

The security measures follow an incident earlier in the tournament in which fans disrupted the Ecuadorian squad using loudspeakers, horns and motorbikes outside their hotel. Despite the precautions, England manager Thomas Tuchel said his squad had faced “no issues” and described their arrival in Mexico as “respectful and emotional”.

Mexican authorities have announced that 17,000 police officers will be deployed across Mexico City on Sunday for what is being billed as arguably the biggest match in the host nation’s football history. Mexico are aiming to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for just the third time, having been eliminated at the last-16 stage in each of their previous six appearances at the tournament.

FIFA had briefly considered moving the match forward by six hours due to the threat of stormy weather, creating uncertainty for both sets of supporters, but ultimately confirmed the original schedule would stand.

England received a significant boost with Declan Rice declared fully fit, though Tuchel still faces a selection dilemma at right-back ahead of the tie. The Azteca carries enormous historical weight for English football — it was the venue where Diego Maradona scored both his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal and his celebrated solo effort against England at the 1986 World Cup.

Altitude and an anticipated hostile atmosphere inside the 87,000-capacity stadium represent additional challenges for Tuchel’s side as they look to reach the quarter-finals.