England’s match against Mexico in the last 32 of the World Cup 2026 is expected to take place at its original time of 01:00 BST on Monday.
FIFA reportedly wanted to bring the match forward by six hours, meaning the tie would have started at 19:00 in the UK.
The governing body had reserved the right to reschedule matches at the World Cup, with the fixture set to be the first to have its time changed at the 2026 edition.
Here’s the lowdown on when the match will take place, full details on an extraordinary build-up and how to watch live.
England vs Mexico: Why game time was in doubt at World Cup
FIFA had been poised to confirm the change on Friday evening UK time before English and Mexican officials were angered by the proposals, according to BBC Sport.
The outlet reported that FIFA had not provided any explanation but added that there could be thunderstorms at the original time of the game.
Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre “expressed his displeasure at the possibility of altering the team’s planning”, according to Mexican newspaper Record, which said that he “considered an adjustment of that magnitude would impact all the logistics prepared for the match”.
England, who already face the challenge of adapting to testing altitudes in Mexico City, were unsure whether the game would be rescheduled when they flew to the capital and gave an “initial reaction” that was “not positive”, according to ITV.
“They also note that there is no precedent – either at the FIFA Club World Cup last summer or at this World Cup – for moving kick-offs forward when there is severe weather disruption,” said reporter Gabriel Clarke.
“With the forecasting technology available, England are very surprised this situation has arisen just two days before the game.
“The FA are, of course, also concerned about fans traveling to Mexico City who’ve booked to arrive on the morning of the game, expecting a 6pm kick-off time [local time].
“FIFA, for their part, have told me ‘we’re trying our best here, given the forecast, to do what is right and to minimise disruption to teams and fans when there is a severe weather disruption.’”
When he was asked about the reports after training earlier in the day, England forward Marcus Rashford said a rescheduling was “not ideal” but “doesn’t matter”.
“How we prepare has to remain the same,” emphasised Rashford. “You have to remain focused and ready for anything.
“That’s one strength of the group: everyone, including the players and staff, are ready for whatever challenges get thrown at us.”
World Cup 2026: Rules around rescheduled games
Matches have to be halted for 30 minutes if there is a lightning strike within eight miles of a stadium, with the time limit restarting each time a strike takes place.
France’s match against Iraq during the group stage did not restart for the second half for more than two hours because of the weather, leading Bleus talisman Kylian Mbappe to describe “a very long evening” afterwards.
“We spent a lot of time waiting,” said Mbappe. “It’s emotionally and mentally draining because we had to stay fully focused and engaged in the dressing room.”
France head coach Didier Deschamps said organisers provided “slots that kept being pushed forward again”.
“I was actually having a good time with my players and having fun,” he added. “It’s a question of safety.
“You cannot fight against the rain and lightning. It doesn’t annoy me. These are very special circumstances and I do hope they don’t happen again. It was important to take no risks.”
FIFA would have moved England game ‘willy-nilly’
Former England captain Gary Neville criticised FIFA and said he would have found the situation “disruptive”.
“Playing conditions are huge for England at a tournament – we know that,” said Neville. “We talk about heat a lot.
“Playing at 12 in Mexico versus playing at six in the evening is very, very different. So for the players, for our players, it’s worse – let’s be really clear.
“It’s a sporting disadvantage to England. There is a sporting integrity issue here as well, because I’ve never seen a League Two game moved. I’ve never seen an [amateur] Sunday League game moved back.
“FIFA are willy-nilly just sort of making it up and moving a game. It just feels a little bit strange.
“Ultimately, you could put fan safety at the heart of it but this is a stadium that’s had these type of conditions before, where they would have a procedure in place to be able to deal with that.
“We know there might be disruptions in games. I came here to watch… a game over [in Miami] in the middle of summer and it was disrupted for an hour. Everyone’s used to that.
“To move a game two days out, I’ve never seen that at any level of football, ever.”
When is England vs Mexico? Confirmed schedule, kick off times
Here’s how England’s fixtures and potential schedule look. Asterisk denotes match starting previous day in specified territory.
| Date | Match | Result | Stage | Time (BST) | ET | PT | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 6 | Mexico | Round of 16 | 01:00 | 20:00* | 15:00* | BBC | |
| July 11 | TBC | Quarter-finals | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | ITV | |
| July 15 | TBC | Semi-finals | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BBC | |
| July 18 | TBC | Third-placed match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | TBC | |
| July 19 | TBC | Final | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
You can see the full bracket on FIFA’s site.
