England’s altitude conundrum

England head to the Azteca with little time to prepare for the venue’s 2,200-metre (7,220-foot) altitude, a factor Tuchel has acknowledged gives the co-hosts a significant advantage.

At that altitude, air is thinner, meaning each breath delivers less oxygen to the body and the ball travels faster and farther.

“It is maybe one of the most beautiful fixtures, the most exciting fixtures that you can have, to play against Mexico in the Azteca,” the German coach said ahead of the match.

“And there will be a lot of obstacles waiting for us, not to mention the altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It’s just impossible.”

El Tri’s perfect record

Mexico, by contrast, are brimming with confidence after winning their first four World Cup matches without conceding a goal – a feat previously achieved only by Brazil in 1986 and Italy in 1990. 

A commanding 2-0 win over Ecuador at the Azteca delivered Mexico’s first World Cup knockout triumph in four decades, with a scintillating first-half display many local observers hailed as one of the finest in the national team’s history. 

While Mexico are not among the favourites to win the World Cup, they boast a frightening record at the Azteca, losing just twice in 89 matches there. Sunday’s match will be the last World Cup fixture at the iconic venue, and the co-hosts will be keen to leave their bastion with a bang. 

England a dream ‘scalp’ for Mexico

Thomas Tuchel’s stuttering England are an ideal target for the co-hosts as they seek a prestigious World Cup win in their final game at the Azteca, the scene of the infamous Maradona handball that still haunts the Three Lions decades later.

Their journey back to the Mexico City has been far from smooth, with a thrilling opening defeat of Croatia followed by a draw against Ghana, a battling win over Panama, and an almighty scare against DR Congo in the round of 32.

Striving to sound upbeat, Tuchel said he relished the challenge for his team, who have so far failed to live up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites.

“More obstacles may come, but we are ready for that,” he said. “We need it. Maybe we have the ideal platform now to genuinely believe that we are ready for that and when the going gets tough that we will find the answers.”

Welcome to our liveblog

England face the home favourites in the round of 16 at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium, saddled with a string of underwhelming performances, a massive altitude problem, and the ghosts of past traumatic failures on Mexican soil.

El Tri, by contrast, have won all four games on home soil, without conceding a goal. A 2-0 victory over Ecuador secured their first knockout win in 40 years – and more history beckons if they can knock out England in front of an expectant home crowd.

Kickoff is at 6pm local time, 1am in London and 2am in Paris.