England Finds it Difficult to Adapt for the Match against Mexico in the 16th Round of the 2026 World Cup

Thomas Tuchel said it was impossible for England to adapt to the altitude ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match against Mexico in Mexico City on Monday, July 6, 2026, morning WIB.

The Three Lions secured the meeting with the 2026 World Cup hosts after coming from behind to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, WIB night.

Brian Cipenga's goal in the seventh minute gave Congo an early lead that shocked, but Harry Kane scored two goals in the last 15 minutes to surpass Brazilian legend Pele with 13 World Cup goals, including five at the 2026 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Mexico has played three of the four 2026 World Cup matches at the Azteca Stadium, which is located about 2,240 meters (7,220 feet) above sea level.

The situation clearly gave an advantage to El Tri. The reason is, England is based in Kansas City and travels to every location.

Thomas Tuchel's men will return to Kansas on Thursday, July 2, 2026 WIB, and will fly to Mexico City.

"I just came from this game and tried to enjoy it, but this is probably one of the most beautiful games, the most exciting game you can get."

"You play against Mexico at the Azteca. There will be a lot of obstacles waiting for us. Not to mention the altitude will be a big disadvantage because we can't adapt physically in four days."

"It's impossible and there will probably be more obstacles. However, we are ready for it, maybe we need it. We have the ideal platform now to really believe that we are ready for it. When things get tough, we will find the answers," Tuchel said of the last 16 match.

Apart from the altitude, England will also face the challenge that Mexico City is not a place that makes them calm in preparation.

Ecuador, for example, even filed a formal complaint with FIFA after fireworks were set off outside the team hotel in Mexico City the night before they lost 0-2 to Mexico.

However, Tuchel is reluctant to get involved. He insists his team is ready for any situation.

"I'm not sure if the journey will be smooth, if the sleep will be restful, if there will be noise outside the hotel. Okay, let's face it."

"This is a very beautiful and exciting match. There will be many obstacles, but this team will be ready for whatever happens," said Tuchel.

Tuchel further stressed that Mexico had the advantage of playing at altitude. However, the German coach was reluctant to make the situation an excuse to surrender before the match.

"We came very early to this country, we came very early to the US and have been doing adaptation exercises to the good hot weather."

"Basically that's the idea, to adapt, so the players have a lot of training adapting to the hot weather."

"It will help them, so I think the heat and humidity won't be a problem for us. We're used to it."

"We've been used to it since training. We've been used to it since our preparation camp in Florida. My understanding is that we can't adapt to the altitude."

"That's a big advantage Mexico will have. It takes too much time. We only have three days between these games."

"Physically, it's impossible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high. We knew that before, so it's just something."

"This is just a loss, which we have to deal with. I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for it, from there we will continue," said the 52-year-old coach.

The winner between Mexico and England will face Brazil or Norway in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal.