England will face Mexico in the World Cup 2026 last 16 after their stunning comeback win over DR Congo.
Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes in Atlanta on Wednesday to save the Three Lions from humiliation in the round of 32, after they had trailed for more than an hour to Brian Cipenga’s early effort.
That saw Thomas Tuchel’s side tee up a showdown with one of the three tournament co-hosts, who only the night before had celebrated their first World Cup knockout win since they last held it in 1986.
Ecuador - who had beaten Germany in dramatic fashion to go through from Group E - proved no match for Mexico, who were roared on by a passionate home crowd as first-half goals from Julian Quinones and Wolves striker Raul Jimenez sealed a deserved 2-0 victory.
In stoppage time, Arsenal and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie followed Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron in becoming only the second player to be sent off at this World Cup for covering his mouth during a confrontation with an opposition player, as part of FIFA’s new rules.
When do England play Mexico in World Cup last 16?
After kick-off times of 9pm, 9pm and 10pm at home during the World Cup group stage and then 5pm for the round of 32, this will be the first overnight BST affair for England fans.
Mexico vs England in the last 16 technically takes place on Sunday July 5, 2026, with a local kick-off time of 6pm at the world-famous Estadio Azteca in the capital, Mexico City.
However, Mexico City is seven hours behind the UK, where the match will begin at 1am BST on Monday morning (July 6).
Monday feels like it won’t be a particularly productive one for businesses up and down the country, with plenty of groggy employees trying to stay awake, no doubt having been up all night to watch the game - and then either celebrated or commiserated straight afterwards.
A meeting with the World Cup co-hosts in front of their own fans is always reason enough to be fearful, but the particular venue for this tie makes it especially the case for England.
Mexico - who have won all four of their games at this tournament, scoring eight goals and conceding none - have an absolutely remarkable record at their formidable 87,523-capacity Azteca fortress, a ground which sits more than 2,000 metres above sea level at high altitude.
They have lost only two of 89 previous competitive games there, the last of which was all the way back in September 2013, when they were stunned 2-1 by Honduras in a World Cup qualifier.
70 of those games have ended in wins, with 17 draws. It is a stadium steeped in rich World Cup history, and not positive from England’s point of view.
Having beaten Paraguay there 3-0 in the last 16 back in 1986, it was the scene of their 2-1 loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals - when Diego Maradona scored arguably the greatest goal in tournament history, shortly after his infamous ‘Hand of God’ effort.
