World Cup 2026: England silences Mexico venue to avoid rowdy locals

England are taking precautions ahead of their arrival in Mexico to prevent locals from spoiling the players’ rest and sleepovers.

Thomas Tuchel’s side face Mexico in the last-16 of the World Cup on Sunday (01:00 BST Monday) on BBC One and iPlayer.

The team arrives in Mexico City on Friday and will spend two nights in the capital before the match.

Mexico’s Round of 32 rivals Ecuador have lodged a complaint with FIFA after their team was deliberately provoked by rowdy Mexican fans who used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles outside the team’s hotel in the evening.

The Ecuadorian team stayed at the Westin Hotel in Mexico City, and while England wanted their location to remain undisclosed, there are fears the location could eventually be leaked on social media.

With this in mind, England’s players and staff will be provided with their own sleep aids such as earplugs or sleeping pads, natural sleeping pills or white noise machines to prevent them from affecting sleep.

Arriving two days before the match is a change of schedule for England, who generally spend the night before the match in the host city.

However, FIFA requires teams to have a semi-open training session the day before the match.

England held that until today in Kansas before flying to the US city where the match will be held.

However, it was decided that England would train in Mexico instead.

Among the challenges England will face is the game against Mexico at the top.

Mexico City has an average elevation of approximately 2,240 meters above sea level, which means there is less oxygen. This can affect the performance of some players, especially if they are not used to the conditions.

To this end, Mexico has played all four World Cup games so far at a high altitude; Three games will be played in Mexico City at the Azteca Stadium and the other in Guadalajara – at an average altitude of 1,566 meters above sea level.

Ideally, athletes competing at high altitude should live at that level for a week or two to allow their bodies to adapt and produce more red blood cells.

Tuchel says his team will be in trouble when England face Mexico this weekend.

“The height is a big loss because we can’t adapt physically,” Tuchel said.

“And in four days, it is impossible, more obstacles may come, but we are ready for that.

“My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the height. This is a great advantage that Mexico has.

“It only takes so much time. We only have three days between these matches. It’s impossible to adapt to the high altitude alone. We knew that before.

“That’s just something we’re going to deal with. And I think we’ve shown that we’re ready for that.”