Riot police surround England's Mexico City hotel as hostile crowds gather before World Cup clash

More than 100 riot police in bullet-proof vests are stationed outside England’s hotel in Mexico City, after hundreds of local supporters gathered to give the squad a hostile welcome ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 clash against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

Around 200 fans had congregated near the hotel by Saturday, with many booing and chanting “Mexico” as the England team bus pulled up. A fence restricts public access to the building’s perimeter, which is patrolled by officers from the Guardia Nacional. A police dog and drone have also been deployed in the area, while the team bus remains parked outside.

England had attempted to keep their base location private after reports emerged that Mexico supporters used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles to disrupt the sleep of Ecuador’s players before their last-32 tie — a match the co-hosts won 2-0. Despite those precautions, supporters had already gathered by the time the squad arrived.

Mexican authorities confirmed that 17,000 police officers will be on duty on Sunday, according to The New York Times.

The fixture is set to proceed at its scheduled 6pm local time (1am Monday UK time) slot, after storm warnings had briefly fuelled speculation about moving the kick-off forward to 12pm local time. Fifa sources confirmed on Friday evening that no decision had been taken to change the timing, with stakeholders continuing to monitor weather conditions closely.

England captain Harry Kane acknowledged the unusual scheduling while expressing hope the team could reward supporters staying up through the night back home.

“We know how much the World Cup means to everyone and all the fans at home, so I’m hoping there will be a few all-nighters,” Kane said. “I think everyone would love nothing more than to be celebrating as the sun’s rising at 5 or 6am.”

Emergency legislation pushed through by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has allowed pubs across the UK to remain open into the early hours for the tie, with pub landlords having waited anxiously for confirmation that the kick-off time would not change.