England take on co-hosts Mexico in what promises to be an absolute cracker of a World Cup round of 16 tie. The two sides have taken contrasting routes to get here: Mexico easing through qualifying to the knockouts with three wins in three and then comfortably holding of Ecuador for a 2-0 win at the Azteca Stadium in the round of 32.
England, meanwhile, had a couple of wins and a dull draw in the group stages before struggling for large parts of their round of 32 tie vs Congo DR. After trailing 0-1 till the 74th minute, two moments of magic from captain Harry Kane ensured they wouldn't be on an early flight home. Now, facing them is the challenge of Mexico at the Azteca.
Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's game:
How to watch:
The match will be available on BBC One in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time*:
U.S. ET: 8 p.m. Sunday, July 5
UK BST: 1 a.m. Monday, July 6
India IST: 5:30 a.m. Monday, July 6
Australia AEST: 10 a.m. Monday, July 6
Venue: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Australia)
Team News
Mexico
Raúl Rangel
Jorge Sánchez | César Montes | Johan Vásquez | Jesús Gallardo
Gilberto Mora | Érik Lira | Luis Romo
Roberto Alvarado | Raúl Jiménez | Julián Quiñones
England
Jordan Pickford
Djed Spence | Ezri Konsa | Marc Guéhi | Nico O'Reilly
Elliot Anderson | Declan Rice
Noni Madueke | Jude Bellingham | Anthony Gordon
Harry Kane
Talking Points
Can England adapt - to the altitude, and the Azteca?
"You play against Mexico in the Azteca, and there will be a lot, a lot, 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 and more obstacles will maybe come."
That was Thomas Tuchel, right after that narrow win over Congo DR, for that is the narrative dominating this round of 16 tie. Can England handle the altitude and they mythical aura of the Azteca?
At an altitude of 2,240m, playing at the Azteca is a challenge for those not acclimatised to the altitude and England certainly won't be. There will be physical aspects to it (stamina, et al) as well as technical (ball flight changes at altitude) and England need to be at their very best to combat this. T
uchel's next line offers hope: "But we are ready for that, 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."
The problem, though, is that the answers have all come from one man. Harry Kane's singular brilliance carried England through the Congo DR challenge, but you get the sense that they need to be something more to beat the co-hosts, who've been in fine form themselves.
Mexico are more than just the Azteca
Most of the pre-match talk, including the first talking point on here, has focused on the mythical Azteca and all the challenges that playing there brings about. This is for good reason -- Mexico have only ever lost two competitive internationals out of 90 played there and it is the definition of 'home fortress' -- but this Mexican team's ability has slipped under the radar.
With Julian Quinones in the form of his life, Raul Jimenez shining a World Cup finally, Roberto Alvarado an incessant menace and all the potential beaming through when 17-year-old wonderkind Gilberto Mora gets the ball, theirs is an attack that can prove a handful for any defence. They tend to start the game fast and hard, and Congo DR have already shown that England can be vulnerable early. If Javier Aguirre has his wards starting with the same kind of intensity they've displayed in their first four matches, they'll take some stopping early.
Quinones' form will be of particular interest to England -- who have struggled to contain attacks down their right, with Djed Spence struggling after stepping into the role in the place of the injured Reece James.
Meanwhile, the bedrock of all Mexico's success has been a defensive set up that's not conceded a goal through the tournament (the only other side not to concede yet in World Cup 2026 is Spain) and have proved quite the tough nut to crack. Yes, the Azteca provides an intangible edge to the home team, but the tangible qualities they possess are their real strength.
-- Mexico insider: This is how England can break down World Cup co-hosts