England vs Mexico kick-off brought forward six hours to dodge Azteca thunderstorms

England’s last-16 clash with Mexico at the 2026 World Cup is set to be brought forward by six hours after forecasters warned of a significant storm risk over Mexico City on Sunday evening.

The match at the Estadio Azteca, originally scheduled for 6pm local time (1am BST Monday), is now expected to kick off at 12pm local time (7pm BST), according to Mexican media reports, with the BBC also reporting it understands the change has been made.

The decision is driven by weather data showing a 72% chance of rain by 7pm local time, rising from 59% at the original 6pm kick-off. AccuWeather’s forecast for Sunday reads: “Cloudy with occasional rain and a thunderstorm later in the afternoon,” with a 61% chance of rain around the original kick-off window. Mexico’s last-32 match against Ecuador earlier in the tournament was already delayed by rain, underlining the seriousness of the threat.

At the proposed new kick-off time of midday local, conditions look considerably more favourable. The BBC forecasts temperatures of 21C — four degrees warmer than the evening slot — with the probability of rain dropping to 31%. AccuWeather shows a similar picture, with the risk of a downpour increasing steadily through the afternoon.

The Estadio Azteca adds a further complication. Unlike most venues being used at this World Cup, it does not have a roof covering the full pitch — its canopy shelters around 80% of seats, leaving the playing surface exposed to the elements.

Under FIFA’s tournament safety rules, drawn up in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), any lightning strike detected within eight miles of a stadium triggers an automatic 30-minute delay. That clock resets with every subsequent strike. Once 30 minutes have elapsed without a strike, players return for a 15-minute warm-up before play resumes. The rule has already been applied at this tournament, affecting France’s group-stage fixture against Iraq.

England are no strangers to weather-related disruption at this World Cup. Their friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando last month was delayed by one hour due to heavy rain, giving the squad some experience of managing the stop-start conditions that storms in this region can produce.