England take precautions against noisy Mexico fans ahead of World Cup

England are taking precautions ahead of their World Cup last-16 match against Mexico on Sunday (01:00 BST Monday), aiming to prevent boisterous local fans from disrupting the players' rest. The match, which will be broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer, sees Thomas Tuchel's side face Mexico in Mexico City.

The squad is scheduled to arrive in the capital on Friday, spending two nights before the game. This follows a complaint from Ecuador, Mexico's last-32 opponents, who alleged that their players were deliberately kept awake by noisy Mexico supporters using loudspeakers, horns, and motorcycles outside their hotel late at night. Ecuador had stayed at the Westin Hotel in Mexico City.

Sleep strategies and undisclosed location

England are keeping their hotel location undisclosed, but there are concerns it could be leaked on social media. To mitigate potential disruptions, players and staff who have not brought their own sleeping aids—such as ear plugs or sleep bands—will be offered natural sleep remedies or white noise audio machines to ensure rest is not compromised.

The decision to arrive two days before the match marks a change in England's usual schedule, where they have typically landed in the host city the night before a game. However, FIFA rules for this stage of the tournament require teams to hold a part-open training session in the locality the day before the match. England had previously been holding such sessions in Kansas before flying to the US city where their game was taking place, but will now train in Mexico instead.

Altitude challenge

Beyond the potential noise issues, England face the challenge of playing at high altitude. Mexico City has an average elevation of approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, resulting in lower oxygen availability. This can affect player performance, particularly for those not acclimatised to such conditions.

Mexico have played all four of their World Cup games so far at high altitude, with three at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and one in Guadalajara, which sits at an average of 1,566 metres above sea level. Ideally, athletes competing at high altitude should spend one to two weeks living at that elevation to allow their bodies to acclimatise and produce more red blood cells.

Tuchel acknowledged the disadvantage his team faces. "The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it," he said. "And in four days, it's just impossible. More obstacles may come, but we are ready for that."

"My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have," Tuchel added. "It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between these matches. It's physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high. We knew that before. This is just something with which we will have to deal with. And I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for that."