FIFA poised to move England vs Mexico kick-off seven hours earlier amid thunderstorm fears

FIFA are planning to move England’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico from its scheduled 6pm local kick-off (1am UK) to midday local time (7pm UK), with the world governing body citing the threat of thunderstorms at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium as the driving force behind the change.

Neither the Football Association nor the Mexican Football Federation had received official confirmation of the switch at the time of writing, despite widespread reports in Mexico City that the match had already been rescheduled. FIFA were also contacted for comment.

The FA are understood to be deeply concerned about the knock-on effects for travelling England supporters, particularly how fans will reach the historic Azteca Stadium at such short notice with a seven-hour reduction in preparation time. The stadium, which sits at 2,240 metres above sea level, also presents an altitude challenge for Thomas Tuchel’s squad, and the compressed timeline complicates their preparations to acclimatise.

The UK government had already confirmed that pubs would be permitted to stay open until 5am to accommodate the original 1am kick-off, a provision that would no longer be necessary if the change goes ahead.

Should the fixture be confirmed at the earlier time, it would kick off at the same hour as England’s most famous — and infamous — visit to the Azteca: the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, the match in which Diego Maradona scored both the ‘Hand of God’ goal and his iconic solo effort in a 2-1 victory.