Thunderstorms have hit Mexico City three-and-a-half hours before England’s World Cup clash against Mexico, which is set to kick off at 1am despite storm forecasts prompting discussions over bringing the game forward. England’s game is kicking off in the early hours of Monday morning UK time after governing body Fifa opted not to go ahead with a proposal to move the game forward six hours to avoid disruption from forecast thunderstorms in Mexico City.
Storm Forecast and Stadium Warnings
Mexico’s weather service said there is an 80% chance of thunderstorms at 5pm local time (12am BST), and a 60% chance at 6pm (1am BST). At about 2.30pm (9.30pm BST), heavy rain and thunderstorms greeted England and Mexico fans outside the Estadio Azteca ahead of their crunch World Cup knockout game. The big screens inside the stadium displayed signs warning people that an electrical storm was approaching and to remain in their seat, though people ran for cover when the heavens opened.
Potential Delays and Historical Context
There are currently no suggestions the kick-off will be delayed, although play cannot begin until 30 minutes has passed since lightning was detected within an eight-mile radius. Mexico’s last-32 match with Ecuador on Wednesday was delayed by an hour after thunderstorms struck ahead of kick-off. Lightning is not the only hazard which could strike the Three Lions’ World Cup hopes – co-hosts Mexico have lost only two of their 89 competitive games at the Estadio Azteca, which lies more than 2,200 metres above sea level.
Prime Minister’s Support
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who earlier this week announced pubs would be able to stay open until 5am to show the match, predicted supporters would stay up through the night to watch the “big game”. He said: “Mexico are a tough side to beat but we have a squad that knows what it takes to win. After the false hope of an earlier night, I know fans across the country will be staying up late to get behind the England team. And thanks to our change to pub licensing, they will be able to do that at their local, all through the early hours. Come on England!”
Fan Reactions
England fans outside the Estadio Azteca were quietly confident of the Three Lions’ chances in their round of 16 tie – with one saying the team can “win penalty shootouts now”. Barnaby Shepherd, 58, originally from Cambridge but who now lives in Los Angeles, told the Press Association: “I think they’ll play slow for the first part because of the altitude and I think they’ll pass it a bit. If they can pass and conserve their energy and nick a goal… I told the Mexican waiter last night it’s going to be 1-1 and it will go to penalties and we’ll nick it on penalties. He said no chance, he thinks it will be 2-0 to Mexico.” Asked if he was confident England can win on penalties, Mr Shepherd said: “I think so, I think we’ve got that, I think we can win penalty shootouts now – we’ve crossed a bridge there.”
Weather and Travel Concerns
Mr Shepherd said you can “put your watch by” thunderstorms in Mexico City. He said: “My cousin, who lives in Mexico City – he’s from Somerset… he says the British media have it all wrong about the weather. It’s always mild, it never gets too hot, but you do have these thunderstorms and you can put your watch by it – you just know when they’re going to come. So I think they should have moved it up to 12pm personally, but we were at the airport and people were shaking their heads saying no because they’d made travel arrangements – so they didn’t like the idea of any disruption. People are going to be annoyed either way – we’ll see what happens today. Yesterday there was thunder and lightning – so that’s what they’re worried about.”
Expectations for the Match
Meanwhile, Kyle Thomas, 35, from Bristol, predicted a tight game. He said: “It’ll be a tight game – first 20 minutes, if we can keep it tight because they are going to come at us really quickly… but after 20 minutes I think we’ll be all right. 1-0 potentially – it’s going to be tight.” His friend Jack Knight, 34, also from Bristol, said: “I think we’re at a disadvantage. They obviously played here last week, they haven’t conceded, they’ve won all their games. Hopefully we do well but we’ve just got to show up. There’s going to be, what, 5,000 English compared to 80,000 (from Mexico) – so we’re going to be outnumbered.” Mr Thomas said the atmosphere inside the Estadio Azteca will be a “great experience”. He said: “We’ll be loud behind the goal, the actual supporters, and there will be a few dotted around the stadium, but I’m excited just to see the atmosphere. The national anthem from Mexico is going to be amazing so it should be a great experience. We’re going to win, so hopefully onto Miami, and then Atlanta for the semis.”
Managerial Hope
The friends from Bristol said England manager Thomas Tuchel’s past achievements have given them hope for the Three Lions’ chances at the World Cup. Mr Knight said: “I want to see a good game today – Panama wasn’t too exciting, nor Congo… I went to Dallas and watched that and that was the only time I was like ‘yeah, we can do this’.” Mr Thomas added: “The only hope I have is that Tuchel won the Champions League playing badly with Chelsea, so I’m pinning my hopes on that.” Asked what they had to do to afford their trip out to the US and Mexico, Mr Knight said: “Save up all our lives.” Mr Thomas continued: “I’ve got a five-month-old and a 15-month-old, so I had to tell my missus I’m going away. I’ll break it to her later that I’m going to go to the semi-final – well, I’ll tell her now.”
