Tomorrow, Mexico will face England in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. England arrived in North America with their usual optimism that this would be the tournament that would see them break a 60-year jinx and take a major trophy. Mexico, in contrast, came into the tournament with a feeling that this was not one of their strongest teams. Four games later, the feelings are reversed. Mexican fans are now talking of “Fortress Azteca’”where their team has won four games without conceding a goal. England, in contrast, has looked mediocre up front and vulnerable at the back. Five goals from Harry Kane have taken them this far, but it has been hard work.
This will be the 10th time the two sides have met, the first way back in 1959.
1959: Mexico 2 England 1
The world was a very different place in 1959. The days when teams traveled by boat between South America and Europe were over — but only just — and the giant Boeing 707 jets that would make intercontinental travel direct, quick and even luxurious were still a novelty. England left London on May 8 and traveled to Rio de Janeiro via Lisbon and Recife. By the time they reached Mexico two weeks later, they had lost matches to Brazil and Peru, and the players were tired, homesick and questioning the wisdom of such a long post-season tour.
There was no Azteca Stadium, but the Estadio Universitario was an impressive venue for those days, and there was an 83,000 crowd for the visit. The altitude, still only vaguely understood, had an impact, as did the heat. When Wilf McGuinness became the first English player to be substituted in a match, he had to be given oxygen. Back on the pitch, England took the lead, but Mexico quickly equalized and looked far more motivated than an England team going through the motions. They were rewarded in the 67th minute when Salvador Reyes scrambled the ball home for the winning goal.
1961: England 8 Mexico 0
Two years later, in May 1961, Mexico was rewarded for that performance with an invitation to play at Wembley Stadium. Mexico was on a successful summer tour of Europe, which saw them beat Holland, in those days an amateur side. They gave a good account of themselves in narrowly losing to a very good Czechoslovakian side and would finish the tour with a draw against Norway. The game at Wembley, however, was a disaster, with England winning 8-0. It was a turning point for Mexican football. Coach Ignacio Trelles realized his Mexican players did not have the ability to master the new 4-2-4 formation style that was starting to dominate world football. So he developed a Mexican counter, based on defending in depth and scoring with quick breaks. It was a move that would serve the team well in the years ahead.
1966: England 2, Mexico 0
So to 1966 and the only meeting between the two sides in a World Cup tournament. Mexico had started well, surprisingly taking a point from France, while the home side, England, had frustrated the crowd with an opening 0-0 draw with Uruguay. The rest of the world hadn’t noticed yet, but Mexico was a far tougher team than it had been in 1961. For 30 minutes, they held out against the hosts and favorites, and it took a classic goal from Bobby Charlton to break the deadlock. The game wasn’t secured until the 75th minute when Ignacio Calderón fumbled for the ball and allowed Roger Hunt to tap it home. That mistake helped the decision to give Antonio Carbajal a game, allowing him to become the first player to appear in five World Cup tournaments.
1969: Mexico 0, England 0
1969 was a test game, both for Mexico, who were preparing to stage the tournament the following year, and England, who wanted to discover what Mexico would be like in terms of training facilities, hotels and food. The game ended goalless, a result that Mexico had more reason to be happy about. They had held the defending World Cup champions to a draw, with Antonio Munguía, Luis Estrada and Enrique Borja all looking good.
For England, the most important event concerned goalkeeper Gordon West. He was a legend at Everton, where he played 400 games for the club, and had given a solid performance in this, his third international. At this point, he had probably climbed to number two in the pecking order behind the great Gordon Banks. It says something about the mentality of players in those days that the homesick West asked not to be selected for the World Cup.
1985: Mexico 1, England 0
Sixteen years would pass before the sides met again. Mexico was preparing to host the tournament for a second time and staged the Ciudad de Mexico Cup as a test run. However, the game was overshadowed by events in Europe. Liverpool had just played Juventus in the European Champions Cup final, where Liverpool fans had charged a section of the crowd. A wall in the rundown Heysel Stadium collapsed, and 39 people died. It was a time of shame for English soccer, with their participation in the World Cup very much up in doubt. As for the match, Mexico won an even contest thanks to a first-half goal from Luis Flores.
1986: England 3, Mexico 0
The two sides met again a few months later. England was on the way to Mexico, and the game took place in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This was a favorite venue for Mexico at the time, and under coach Bora Milutinović, they had drawn with Denmark and Argentina and beaten Uruguay in this stadium. The game was decided by Mark Hately, a towering old-fashioned forward who physically overpowered the Mexican defense and scored two goals. No lasting harm was done, and Mexico would have a very good World Cup on home soil. England, of course, would lose in a classic game with Argentina and Diego Maradona.
1997: England 2, Mexico 0
A decade would pass before Mexico returned to Wembley. A crowded fixture list was overshadowing international friendly games, and only 48,000 came to watch. England won thanks in part to a disputed penalty.
2001: England 4, Mexico 0
Mexico was on the way to Korea for the now-defunct Confederation Cup. Wembley was being renovated, so the Midlands town of Derby was the unusual venue. Sven-Göran Eriksson was in charge of England, and he had completely devalued friendly internationals by treating them as practice matches. Against Mexico, he substituted 10 of his players during the second half. Mexico had a disappointing game, meekly surrendering midfield, an omen for 2002 and a poor World Cup.
2010: England 3 Mexico 1
The ninth and most recent meeting between the teams. Mexico was undertaking a short European tour before heading for South Africa and the World Cup finals. With British fans optimistic about their own team’s chances, and Wembley once again open, there was a crowd of 88,000 in attendance. England were in control after three quick goals but didn’t impress. Their manager, Fabio Capello, was complimentary of the Mexican team, noting they were “good technically, faster than us and it was not easy getting the ball back.”
2026: TBD
Both teams would reach the last 16 in South Africa, the same stage they have achieved this time around. Of course, tomorrow night, one of them will go a step further. With a home crowd in the Azteca Stadium, that might well be Mexico!
Bob Pateman lived in Mexico for six years. He is a librarian and teacher with a Master’s Degree in History.
