A violent storm swept over Estadio Azteca on Sunday night and threw the schedule of the Mexico versus England World Cup Round of 16 tie into disarray, forcing organisers to push the kickoff back by a full hour, from 6 pm to 7 pm local time. It was the second time in this tournament that the weather has directly disrupted Mexico's campaign, after bad weather had already delayed the Round of 32 match against Ecuador by an hour the previous Tuesday.
Three changes for England, Aguirre sticks with his winning eleven
Coach Thomas Tuchel made three changes to the England side that had beaten Ecuador in the previous round. Jarell Quansah came in at right back in place of Djed Spence, while Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon were restored to the starting lineup. The rest of the team that saw off Ecuador stayed the same. England lined up with Jordan Pickford in goal, Quansah, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly across the back, Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice anchoring midfield, and an attacking unit of Saka, Jude Bellingham, Gordon and Harry Kane.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre took the opposite approach, keeping the exact eleven that had beaten Ecuador in the Round of 32 unchanged. Raul Rangel started in goal behind a back line of Jorge Sanchez, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez and Jesus Gallardo, with Erick Lira and Luis Romo holding midfield, and Gilberto Mora supporting a front three of Raul Jimenez, Julian Quinones and Roberto Alvarado.
Forty years of waiting, and one unfinished question
Mexico's entire dream at this World Cup has been condensed into one unfinished question, what if we actually do it? The ending is left deliberately unsaid, because behind it sits the hope of finally reaching a quarterfinal. Two generations of Mexican fans have grown up watching their team fall at the same hurdle, and it has been 40 years since Mexico last made it to a World Cup quarterfinal. Sunday, July 5, 2026 offered a real chance to end that wait, provided Mexico could get past England. Inside and outside the stadium, supporters rallied around that same hopeful chant, giving collective voice to their dream of going all the way.
Bellingham's early double stuns Estadio Azteca
Once the delayed kickoff finally arrived, both sides were immediately caught up in a foul-heavy start. Luis Romo won an early free kick in his own half, and Declan Rice was shown a yellow card for a serious foul that led to a second free kick for Mexico soon after. The match was then stopped in the very first minute when Romo went down injured, and play resumed a short while later once he was able to continue.
Mexico had the first real sight of goal in the third minute, when Raul Jimenez struck a firm right-footed effort from outside the box after Gilberto Mora had created the chance, only for it to be blocked. From there the game settled into a stream of free kicks on both sides, Jorge Sanchez fouling to hand England an opening, Anthony Gordon and later Jude Bellingham winning free kicks in their own half, and Erick Lira and Mora both conceding fouls that handed chances back to England, with Marc Guehi also winning one for the Three Lions.
England won their first corner in the eighth minute after a mistake from Jorge Sanchez, but Mexico hit back with two corners of their own, one around the 15th minute off a Jordan Pickford error and another soon after when Bellingham gave the ball away. In between, Mexico came close again through Jimenez, who headed a Roberto Alvarado cross from the middle of the box, only for Pickford to pull off an outstanding save low to his right.
Bukayo Saka won a free kick after being fouled in England's own half around the 17th minute, while Jesus Gallardo conceded one at the other end. Bellingham then won another free kick for England, and moments later Gilberto Mora tried his luck from the left side of the box after Julian Quinones had created the opening, only to be blocked by England's defenders. England earned a corner in the 20th minute after Erick Lira put the ball behind, while Cesar Montes conceded a foul that gifted Mexico's opponents another set piece soon after.
A brief drinks break arrived in the 22nd minute. Once play resumed, Anthony Gordon almost broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a right-footed effort from the left side of the box off a Jordan Pickford assist, but Raul Rangel gathered it comfortably in the middle of his goal. Ezri Konsa then won a free kick in defence, before Raul Jimenez conceded a foul at the other end that gave it back to England.
In the 31st minute, Luis Romo dragged a powerful strike well over the bar from outside the box after being set up by Julian Quinones, and a minute later Gilberto Mora conceded a foul that let Nico O'Reilly win another free kick for England in his own half.
Then, in the 35th minute, the game finally cracked open. Bellingham rose to meet a Saka cross with a close-range header that dipped into the bottom left corner to put England 1-0 ahead. He was not done. Barely two minutes later, in the 37th minute, Bellingham struck again, driving a right-footed shot from close range into the top left corner after Harry Kane had teed him up, and suddenly England led 2-0 before the 40-minute mark.
Mexico's response came quickly. Saka conceded a foul for handball in the 39th minute, and after Jesus Gallardo had won a free kick down the left flank and Saka had then fouled again to hand Mexico another set piece, Julian Quinones made it count. In the 41st minute, Quinones struck a right-footed effort from the centre of the box off that set piece into the top of the goal, pulling Mexico back to 1-2. The fourth official signalled five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half, during which Jimenez went close again, shooting wide from the centre of the box with Quinones once more the creator. Mexico won two further corners before the interval, one off a Pickford error and the other after Bellingham lost possession, and in between Jimenez rose for another header off an Alvarado cross that Pickford kept out with a leaping save. Anthony Gordon won one last free kick for England before the referee blew for half time with the score locked at Mexico 1, England 2.
A VAR penalty swings the game England's way again
The second half began with Mexico making their first change, sending on Santiago Jimenez for Gilberto Mora in the 60th minute, and moments later bringing on Brian Gutierrez for Luis Romo as well. England won a free kick in Mexico's half straight after the restart when Gutierrez fouled, and Edson Alvarez then conceded one of his own that let Harry Kane win a free kick down the left flank. Mexico picked up another corner in the 64th minute after John Stones misjudged a header.
The pivotal moment of the match arrived in the 65th minute. Brian Gutierrez was brought down inside England's box, and after the referee reviewed the pitchside monitor, the penalty was confirmed for Mexico following a VAR review completed in the 66th minute, with the foul attributed to Harry Kane. Marc Guehi picked up a yellow card in the 67th minute as tempers threatened to boil over, and then, in the 68th minute, Raul Jimenez stepped up and sent his penalty into the bottom left corner, restoring England's lead at 2-3.
The match then went through a stretch of stoppages. Nico O'Reilly needed treatment after an injury around the 69th minute, Jorge Sanchez was booked in the 70th minute, and as soon as play resumed, O'Reilly himself was shown a yellow card in the 71st minute. A drinks break followed shortly after, with the game resuming again close to the 73rd minute. England used the moment to make a double change, sending on Djed Spence for the injured O'Reilly and, a few minutes later, bringing on Dan Burn in place of Elliot Anderson.
Mexico chase an equaliser deep into stoppage time
Mexico kept pushing. In the 79th minute, Edson Alvarez rose for a close-range header from a corner created by Roberto Alvarado's cross but could not keep it on target, the ball drifting just wide of the right post. Mexico made another change soon after, taking off Julian Quinones for Guillermo Martinez in the 80th minute. Santiago Jimenez then curled a left-footed effort over the bar from the centre of the box in the 81st minute after Alvaro Fidalgo had picked him out.
Raul Jimenez was fouled again shortly afterwards, and a separate on-field decision was overturned following a VAR review around the 83rd minute, while Ezri Konsa won a free kick for England in the attacking half in the same passage of play. Raul Jimenez was then caught offside in the 86th minute, briefly halting Mexico's momentum. Alvaro Fidalgo tested Pickford from outside the box in the 88th minute, set up by Brian Gutierrez, but the England goalkeeper held firm in the centre of his goal. Raul Jimenez conceded a foul moments later, allowing Konsa to win yet another free kick, this time down the right flank.
With time running out, England made their final change, taking off Harry Kane for Morgan Rogers in the 89th minute, around the same moment Jude Bellingham was penalised for a foul of his own and Roberto Alvarado won a free kick for Mexico in defence. The fourth official then signalled a lengthy eleven minutes of stoppage time. Mexico won another corner in the 91st minute off Konsa, and two minutes later Bellingham nearly produced a moment of magic from more than 35 yards out, only for Raul Rangel to leap and tip his effort over the bar from a Gordon assist.
Mexico kept probing for an equaliser deep into added time. Jesus Gallardo fired wide of the right post from outside the box in the 93rd minute with Johan Vasquez teeing him up, before Raul Jimenez saw a shot from outside the box blocked by a wall of England defenders off another Fidalgo assist in the 95th minute, then dragged a follow-up effort from the centre of the box off target moments later. Edson Alvarez also had a shot from distance charged down by England's defence, again created by Fidalgo, as added time ticked past the 95-minute mark with Mexico still hunting the goal that would take the tie level again.
As this report was filed, England held a 3-2 lead over Mexico, with the outcome of the Round of 16 tie still hanging in the balance in the closing moments of a pulsating night at Estadio Azteca.
