England battle Mexico tonight for a place in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.
The Three Lions were far from at their best in the round of 32 on Wednesday, but bested DR Congo 2-1 in Atlanta thanks to a late Harry Kane-inspired turnaround.
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Facing co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, the same stadium where Diego Maradona scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal for Argentina 40 years ago, will be a hugely challenging task.
El Tri have been boosted by their vociferous fans throughout this tournament and have an incredible record at arguably the most iconic venue in World Cup history.
Group A winners Mexico breezed past Ecuador 2-0 in a feisty encounter to reach the last 16 and will bring a similar physicality into this match.
England will also have to contend with playing at high altitude, with the Azteca sitting at over two kilometres above sea level.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Mexico vs England has been delayed by an hour to 2am BST kick-off time on Monday July 6, 2026. That is 7pm local time on Sunday evening.
It will take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Where to watch England vs Mexico for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on BBC One, with coverage starting at 12am BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert insight and analysis from England correspondent Dom Smith at the Azteca.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with the BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
England vs Mexico team news
Impressively, Mexico have made it to this stage of the competition with no serious injuries in their squad.
Raul Jimenez, who recently returned to Wolves from Fulham, has enjoyed an impressive campaign so far, forming a tidy strike partnership with Julian Quinones.
The pair should continue in their roles here.
Wonderkid Gilberto Mora got the nod against Ecuador last time out and put in an impressive shift. He too should keep his place.
Mexico squad: Raul Rangel, Carlos Acevedo, Guillermo Ochoa, Israel Reyes, Jesús Gallardo, Jorge Sánchez, César Montes, Johan Vásquez, Mateo Chávez, Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Obed Vargas, Brian Gutiérrez, Orbelín Pineda, Edson Álvarez, Gilberto Mora, César Huerta, Álvaro Fidalgo, Luis Chávez, Roberto Alvarado, Alexis Vega, Julián Quiñones, Santiago Gimenez, Guillermo Martínez, Armando González, Raúl Jiménez
Jarell Quansah has been declared fit for England after missing the DR Congo game with an ankle injury sustained against Panama and could return at right-back, in place of Djed Spence.
Reece James could make the bench following a hamstring problem, but may not be involved at all again after missing the last two games.
There are decisions to be made in attack, too, after Anthony Gordon bagged two assists after coming off the bench to replace Marcus Rashford against DR Congo, while Bukayo Saka will also be pushing to start ahead of Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke.
England squad: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Jarell Quansah, Nico O'Reilly, Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers, Kobbie Mainoo, Eberechi Eze, Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon
England vs Mexico prediction
As soon as the World Cup groups were drawn last December, boffins realised the potential of England facing Mexico at the Azteca, and it was widely touted as a colossal banana skin.
Mexico have been in rich form this summer and, with tens of thousands of passionate home supporters behind them, will be extremely difficult to beat.
England were not entirely convincing as they left it late to beat DR Congo, but should have the talent to drown out the noise and get the job done in Mexico City for a famous win.
England to win 2-1, after extra time.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
This will be the first meeting between these two nations since Peter Crouch, Ledley King and Glen Johnson all scored for England in a 3-1 friendly win at Wembley in 2010.
Mexico wins: 2
England wins: 6
Draws: 1
England vs Mexico match odds
Odds via UK betting sites (subject to change).
