04/07/2026
England-Mexico 1am kick-off unchanged after Fifa U-turn
England's World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico will kick off as scheduled at 01:00 BST on Monday after a Fifa U-turn on a plan to bring the game forward.
Football's world governing body held talks with the English and Mexican football associations on Friday after proposing the match be moved to 19:00 BST on Sunday (12:00 local time).
Weather forecasts suggest there could be thunderstorms at that time, though Fifa did not provide any explanation for its suggested change.
The Football Association (FA) had also been involved in planning and security discussions after four people died following Mexico's last 32 victory over Ecuador in Mexico City on Tuesday.
That game kicked off at 1900 local time.
Sources told BBC Sport that Fifa had been set to reschedule the fixture, and confirm in a statement, but news of the proposal angered both English and Mexican officials.
The FA requested time to review the weather forecast in more detail.
As talks went on, concerns over the impact on player preparation, fan travel and the logistics around moving the staging of such a huge game were discussed.
As a result, the game in Mexico City is now due to be played at its original kick-off time - 18:00 local time on Sunday.
Fifa regulations for World Cup 2026 state it has the right to "cancel, reschedule or relocate" matches "at its sole discretion".
The proposed change was first reported by local media in Mexico.
Fifa maintained no decision had been made and - after pushback from both associations - it was decided to keep the tie at its original kick-off time.
The match will be broadcast live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website and app.
Reports in Mexico claimed the BBC was part of lobbying around the kick-off time being earlier but a BBC spokesperson said the corporation was "not involved in these discussions".
