World Cup presenter says there’s ‘no way’ England vs Mexico kicks-off on time

England boss Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup (Picture: Getty)

England fans have been warned there is ‘no way’ the World Cup last-16 game against Mexico will kick-off on time.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, bidding to win their first World Cup since 1966, face co-hosts Mexico at 6pm local time on Sunday evening.

The time difference means millions of England fans are bracing themselves for a 1am kick-off in the early hours of Monday morning.

FIFA were for a few hours in talks with England and Mexico over moving the game to an earlier kick-off which would have seen the game start at 7pm UK time.

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Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, it was confirmed that FIFA had the right to ‘cancel, reschedule or relocate’ matches ‘at its sole discretion’.

Weather forecasts suggest there could be thunderstorms in Mexico City on Sunday evening, although this was not believed to be the primary reason for the proposed change.

Instead FIFA were reportedly concerned for fan safety as they had been involved in planning and security discussions after four people died following Mexico’s last World Cup win over Ecuador, which started at 7pm local time in the same city.

Tuchel inspects the Mexico City Stadium pitch (Picture: Getty)

But the FA and their Mexican counterparts were uneasy at the proposal and had concerns over the impact on player preparation, fan travel and general logistics.

As a result the proposal was scrapped and millions of England fans are once again preparing to either stay awake through the night or set their alarms for the early hours of the morning to see if the Three Lions can advance to the quarter-finals.

Several reporters on the ground are still concerned by the weather forecast, however, and anticipate lengthy delays to the last-16 fixture.

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Thunder and lightning delayed Mexico’s last-32 win over Ecuador by an hour and talkSPORT presenter Olivia Buzaglo expects similar scenes for England’s game.

‘Being in Mexico City, you can understand why they wanted to change the kick off time,’ she posted on X.

‘It’s nearly 5pm here and it is absolutely hammering it down. Like properly. Absolutely no way the game kicks off at 6pm tomorrow. There’s been about 15 lightning bolts in half an hour.’

Heavy storms are not uncommon in Mexico City (Picture: Getty)

Posting a video of heavy rain, thunder and lightning in Mexico City on Saturday, Paul Brown added: ‘This is why they wanted to move the time of the game…

‘The Mexican weather is crazy – grey then sunny and then it rains and Mexico City is flooded. The weather is kicking off here. I’ve never heard thunder like it.’

What’s the weather forecast in Mexico City?

‘Daily thunderstorms are normal in Mexico City at this time of year – but forecasts suggest the risk on Sunday is particularly high, and if those storms develop they could be severe,’ BBC Lead Weather Presenter Ben Rich said.

‘Mexican government forecasters say troughs – small-scale low pressure features – are expected in the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere over central parts of Mexico on Sunday, making the atmosphere very unstable.

English fan in Mexico – The Mexican 🇲🇽 weather is crazy – grey then sunny then it rains …. Mexico City is flooded this is why they wanted to move the time of the game !!! pic.twitter.com/ep8YcKk9JG

— Paul Brown 🇬🇧 Browns fan🏈 London News 🎥Vlogger (@PaulBrown_UK) July 4, 2026

‘As the sun heats the air close to the ground, that instability will allow the air to rise rapidly – forming the big cumulonimbus clouds that produce thunderstorms.

‘On Sunday these storms look likely to bring frequent lightning, and there is also the risk of hail.

‘Thunderstorm activity tends to peak around, or just after, the highest temperatures of the day – during the late afternoon and into the evening.

England training ahead of their last-16 clash (Picture: Getty)

‘An earlier kick-off time would have allowed the match to take place before the worst of the thunderstorm activity gets going – although that is certainly not guaranteed.

‘There is still a chance of showers at midday, albeit the chance is smaller than it would be later in the day – and any showers that do develop would be less likely to grow into severe thunderstorms.’

Before FIFA scrapped the proposed change, Mexico manager Javier Aguirre said his team’s preparations had been ‘completely ruined’.

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre (Picture: Getty)

‘We have to change everything,’ he told radio station Grupo Formula.

‘It’s not that [Mexico’s preparation] is completely ruined but almost, because you have to swallow six hours that you had programmed.

‘Obviously we will comply with Fifa. I don’t like it at all, and neither do my players. They didn’t even ask for my opinion.

‘Fifa organises, Fifa decides, and I comply. We adapt, there are no excuses, and we have to play and win.’

England topped Group L with seven points from a possible nine after beating Croatia and Panama and sharing a goalless draw with Ghana.

Tuchel’s side trailed DR Congo for over an hour in their first knockout game before England captain Harry Kane came to the rescue with two late goals.

Mexico, meanwhile, topped Group A with a perfect record, beating South Africa, South Korea and Czech Republic without conceding a goal.

Their impressive defensive record continued in the round-of-32 as Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 to set up a blockbuster clash with England.

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