Mexico City [Mexico], July 5 (ANI): Ahead of the clash against Mexico in their FIFA World Cup round of 16 fixture, Engand coach Thomas Tuchel admitted to feeling the effects of high altitude personally and warned that the first 15-20 minutes of the match against an aggressive opposition at their home turf of Azteca will be the “most difficult”.
England will face perhaps their toughest challenge in the ongoing FIFA World Cup as they take on Mexico at the iconic Azteca venue, with the high altitude at the venue and Mexico’s sensational home record stacked up against them as disadvantages.
Mexico will carry a formidable home record into their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against England at the Estadio Azteca–a record that underlines the challenge awaiting the Harry Kane-led England side. The clash against England is scheduled for July 6, 5:30 AM IST.
Since first playing at the venue in 1966, Mexico have lost just twice in competitive matches at the Estadio Azteca, underlining its reputation as one of football’s most difficult away grounds. In 89 matches played there, they have recorded 70 wins and 17 draws, showcasing a dominant home advantage over decades.
England now face a stern test as they prepare to take on the hosts in front of a home crowd, with Mexico’s strong record at the Azteca adding further weight to the knockout encounter. Another challenge for England will be the high-altitude conditions at Estadio Azteca, with the pitch situated at around 7,220 ft (2,240 metres) above sea level. The thinner air at this height reduces oxygen levels for players and also allows the ball to travel faster and farther compared to lower-altitude venues such as Atlanta Stadium (312 m above sea level), where England faced DR Congo in the Round of 32 clash.
Speaking as quoted by Sky Sports, Tuchel said that he felt a “slight headache” in his hotel room and felt some problems sleeping, but it all is nothing that a player cannot handle and adapt to.
“I felt, for example, a slight headache in the hotel room through the day, I did not sleep as well as the days before but nothing that you cannot handle and you cannot adapt. I think the players felt it in the first minutes of the training session and the longer it went they could cope with it better,” Tuchel said.
“It is just what it is. We cannot physically adapt. It is just impossible. But we are here one day before to experience it at least, to not have all the first-time experience in the warm-up [for the match]. So we will have the warm-up, especially with [focus on] the flight of the ball, with a bit of shortness of breath,” he added.
He also admitted that Mexico start their matches on home turf “very strong, very front-footed” and overcoming it would put them in a “good place”.
“I think it is not a coincidence that Mexico start their matches normally on home turf very, very strong, very front-footed, very aggressively because I think the first 15-20 minutes will be maybe the toughest for us. Once we overcome that I think we are in a good place,” he signed off. (ANI)
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