Experience Rejection, the Kickoff Time of Mexico vs. England at the 2026 World Cup Will Not Be Changed

JAKARTA - The 2026 World Cup 16-team match between Mexico and England will start at 6 p.m. local time in Mexico City on Sunday, July 5, 2026 - according to the original schedule - after long talks between FIFA and the two national associations on Friday, July 3, 2026.

Concerns about the weather in Mexico City have led the Mexican government to request an earlier kickoff time, specifically at 12.00 noon.

However, ESPN reported that the refusal from the Mexican and English Football Federations led FIFA to reject the request to change the kickoff time and stick to the original time.

FIFA wants to avoid a repeat of Mexico's match against Ecuador in the same venue in the last 32, when the kickoff was delayed for an hour due to a lightning storm.

However, Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has expressed his opposition to the potential change of time.

"This is a huge blow. Now we have to change everything. It doesn't mean that all the hard work will be in vain - although it almost is - because we have to throw away six hours of planning that has been scheduled. I don't like it at all."

"Obviously, we will comply with what FIFA says, but neither my players nor I are happy with it," Aguirre told Radio Formula.

The rescheduling of the match will also affect England's preparations. The England national team is scheduled to arrive on Friday, July 3, 2026, local time.

They will then hold a Saturday training session at the UNAM Pumas pitch, south of the Mexican capital, so they will have less time to adapt to the altitude of Mexico City before the match begins.

The Azteca Stadium is located more than 7,300 feet above sea level. Sports scientists say that for elite athletes to perform at their best at altitude, an adaptation period is needed to reduce fatigue caused by lower atmospheric pressure and reduced oxygen availability.

Generally, the experts recommend a longer acclimatization period, at least two weeks, or a method of arriving as close to the time of the match as possible before acute symptoms appear.

"My understanding is that we can't adapt to the altitude. That's a big advantage Mexico will have. It (adaptation) takes too much time."

"We only had three days between (the 32-team victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo and the match against Mexico). Physically, it's impossible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high," said England coach Thomas Tuchel, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.