Zürcher Nachrichten - England enter World Cup lion's den as Mexico host them at Azteca fortress

A place in the quarter-finals is at stake as the confident co-hosts eye their shot at glory against the Three Lions, who have so far failed to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Harry Kane rescued England from what would have been one of their worst ever World Cup defeats to edge past DR Congo in the last 32, the captain scoring twice in the final 15 minutes in Atlanta to secure a nervy 2-1 win and keep the dream of ending a 60-year wait to win a major tournament alive.

Mexico, by contrast, are flying. El Tri have won all four games on home soil, without even conceding a goal.

A 2-0 victory over Ecuador secured their first knockout win at the World Cup for 40 years and more history beckons if England can be slayed in front of an expectant home crowd.

Mexico have reached the World Cup quarter-finals twice, both times when they previously hosted the tournament in 1970 and 1986, but have never progressed beyond the last eight.

All matches from the quarter-finals on will be played in the USA and Mexico are desperate to make the most of their final game with home advantage.

England face not only a team in form, but the challenge of performing in high altitude at the Azteca, which sits 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level.

"The altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It's just impossible," said England boss Thomas Tuchel.

England will fly out from their training base in Kansas on Friday, a day earlier than their normal practice of travelling on the eve of the game.

On top of the physical exertion of dealing with the altitude, Tuchel is keen to get as prepared as possible for how it affects the movement of the ball.

"The ball will fly differently," he said. "It will fly maybe five yards (metres) more. It's just difficult. We just need the experience."

- 'Hand of God' haunts England -

England have already faced World Cup heartbreak at the Azteca, where their most famous defeat in the competition took place 40 years ago.

Diego Maradona's mix of cheating and devastating skill secured a 2-1 win for Argentina in the quarter-finals.

Maradona famously punched the ball into the net for the opening goal which he christened "the Hand of God."

Moments later Maradona led the English defence a merry dance to score one of the all-time great World Cup goals.

Mexico may not be blessed with that individual talent, but they are an incredibly tough nut to crack at the Azteca.

In 89 matches at the iconic stadium, they have lost only twice and have never been defeated in 10 World Cup games there.

In a sprawling tournament spread over three host countries and 16 cities, passion for the sport's showpiece event appears most ferocious in Mexico's capital.

More than one million people took to the streets of Mexico's capital after the victory over Ecuador, with at least four deaths reported.

Ecuador filed a complaint with FIFA after their players were kept awake by noisy Mexican fans ahead of their match.

England are attempting to keep the location of their hotel a secret, fearing the extra disadvantage of disrupted sleep.

But Tuchel said they had to "expect everything" and still rise to the challenge of what he described as "one of the most beautiful fixtures, the most exciting fixtures that you can have."

England's hopes may well rest with their proven match-winner Kane, who took his 2025/2026 season goals tally to an incredible 72 for club for country in the win over DR Congo.

"No matter the situation, no matter what kind of chance I get, I feel like I can score goals," Kane said. "I just think there's a mixture of everything coming together at the right time."

Pubs in England have been allowed to remain open till 5am (0400GMT) so fans can follow the match.

Kane and company must deliver if they are to be raising glasses in celebration rather than drowning sorrows of more World Cup woe.

R.Schmid--NZN