England delay Mexico City arrival over spying and hotel disruption fears ahead of last-16

England vs Mexico World Cup game set to have kick-off time changed

England’s World Cup last-16 game against Mexico will kick off six hours earlier than initially scheduled (Getty) England’s World Cup last-16 match against Mexico is set move to a 7pm BST kick-off on Sunday due to thunderstorms in Mexico City.The game between England and Mexico at Azteca Stadium was initially scheduled to take place at 6pm local time on Sunday (1am BST on Monday).However, due to forecasts of heavy thunderstorms in the area, the match has been switched to an earlier time of 12:00pm central time (7pm BST on Sunday), according to Latin America broadcaster Claro Sports.Andres Vaca, a commentator for Mexico’s official World Cup broadcaster TUDN, has also announced that the kick-off time for Mexico vs England has moved. Don't miss a World Cup moment England's hero (Picture:Getty) What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now. FIFA has yet to officially confirm the switch.Adverse weather has already had a major impact on two games at the World Cup this summer.Earlier this week, Mexico’s win against Ecuador in the last-32 stage was delayed due to thunderstorms around the Azteca Stadium, with the game kicking off an hour later than planned.Last week, France’s 3-0 win against Iraq in Philadelphia was delayed by more than two hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area.More to follow…For more stories like this, check our sport page.Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago

England reveal spying concern ahead of Mexico World Cup match

England manager Thomas Tuchel (Picture: Getty) England will delay their arrival to Mexico City to guard against fears of spying ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash with Mexico. The Three Lions will play Mexico in their last-16 match at Azteca Stadium on Sunday, with the game kicking off at 1am BST on Monday morning. Thomas Tuchel’s side face a daunting task up against the tournament co-hosts, who have yet to concede a goal this tournament and play their matches 2,240 metres above sea level. England are due to arrive in Mexico City on Friday and will spend two nights in the capital before the game. Don't miss a World Cup moment England's hero (Picture:Getty) What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now. That decision is in part to try and avoid the most severe effects of altitude sickness that tend to kick in between three and nine days. But widespread reports also suggest that England feared that key training sessions in the build-up would be targeted by spies looking to gain valuable insight on their team shape and selection. Instead, those sessions will take place at England’s tournament base in Kansas City, where England have screened-off training pitches and a heavy security presence provided by the local police. England fear spies will target their training sessions (Picture: Getty) Even if England progress past this last-16 clash, Tuchel and England still intend to return to Kansas for the build-up to their later knockout matches. The issue of spying in football came to the fore late last season when Southampton were ejected from the Championship play-off final after admitting to spying on the training sessions of semi-final opponents Middlesbrough. Two years ago at the Olympic games, Canada women’s national team were given a six-point deduction after being caught using a drone to watch New Zealand train. AFICIÓN MEXICANA 🇲🇽 VINO AL HOTEL DE ECUADOR 🇪🇨 Los aficionados han venido con sus carros, trompetas, motos, todo haciendo ruido para la selección sudamericana, tratando de no dejarlos dormir. Jugadores se asoman desde sus habitaciones. pic.twitter.com/ltJ6i0DKfn— Zaritzi Sosa (@zaritzisosa) June 30, 2026 Alongside their fears over spying, England also have concerns that the location of their hotel will be leaked and targeted by Mexico supporters before their match. It was an issue that plagued Ecuador, who were beaten by Mexico in the round of 32 on Wednesday, with their players kept awake by the home fans the night before the game. From midnight until the early hours of the morning on the day of the match, supporters gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Mexico City where Ecuador’s squad was staying and used car horns, motorcycles and loudspeakers to disturb the players. Ecuador have since submitted a complaint to Fifa, which said: ‘Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,’ the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said in a statement. ‘The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.’ England’s team hotel in Mexico is expected to have roadblocks around its perimeter to try and guard against pre-game disruption. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

12 hours ago

FIFA receives Mexico complaint before England World Cup match

England play Mexico in their World Cup last-16 match on Sunday (Getty) FIFA has received a complaint about Mexico fans targeting team hotels ahead of their World Cup game against England this weekend. The Three Lions will play Mexico in their last-16 match at Azteca Stadium on Sunday, with the game kicking off at 1am BST on Monday morning. England are due to arrive in Mexico City on Friday and will spend two nights in the capital before the game. However, England are trying to keep the location of their hotel a secret due to concerns that it will be targeted by Mexico supporters before their match. Ecuador, who were beaten by Mexico in the round of 32 on Wednesday, have submitted a complaint to FIFA this week after their players were kept awake by Mexico fans the night before the game. From midnight until the early hours of the morning on the day of the match, Mexico supporters gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Mexico City where Ecuador’s squad was staying and used car horns, motorcycles and loudspeakers to disturb the players. AFICIÓN MEXICANA 🇲🇽 VINO AL HOTEL DE ECUADOR 🇪🇨 Los aficionados han venido con sus carros, trompetas, motos, todo haciendo ruido para la selección sudamericana, tratando de no dejarlos dormir. Jugadores se asoman desde sus habitaciones. pic.twitter.com/ltJ6i0DKfn— Zaritzi Sosa (@zaritzisosa) June 30, 2026 ‘Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,’ the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said in a statement. ‘The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.’ Thomas Tuchel believes Mexico have a significant advantage over England due to the altitude level (Getty) Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel already believes his England players will be at a significant disadvantage due to the game being played at Azteca Stadium, which is around 7,200ft above sea level. The high altitude means the air is thinner and less oxygen is taken into the bloodstream, which is likely to create difficulties for England’s players. Mexico, who are yet to concede a goal at the World Cup, have played all four of their matches at high altitude, with three games at Azteca Stadium and the other in Guadalajara, which is around 5,000ft above sea level. ‘The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it,’ Tuchel said after England’s win over DR Congo. ‘It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between these matches. It’s physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude. ‘That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. More obstacles may come, but we are ready for that. ‘This is just something with which we will have to deal. And I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for that.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

19 hours ago