If England were in a hole by the time of the hydration break in the second half of their round of 32 tie against DR Congo, they will encounter the opposite problem when their World Cup 2026 journey takes them over the border.
England came from behind to win 2-1 at Atlanta Stadium, Harry Kane thrashing in his second goal to set up an intimidating prospect in the round of 16: Mexico are up next for the Three Lions and it’s at the Azteca to boot.
El Tri have a phenomenal record at the most iconic football stadium in the Americas, both in general and at the World Cup.
How will altitude affect England at Azteca?
The Azteca, currently known for FIFA purposes as Mexico City Stadium, is the only stadium in the world to host matches at three different World Cups. As well as the opening game of World Cup 2026, it was the site of the finals in 1970 and 1986.
Mexico have played ten World Cup matches at the famous stadium and have not been beaten in any of them despite playing the likes of the Soviet Union in 1970 and Belgium in 1986.
Having now beaten South Africa, Czechia and Ecuador at Azteca in this World Cup, Javier Aguirre’s Mexico welcome Thomas Tuchel and England for a last-16 fixture that will kick off at 1am UK time on Monday.
While Ecuador certainly won’t have been deterred by the prospect of playing at altitude, the elevation of Azteca is a Mexican twelfth man the Three Lions could do without.
Azteca is 2200 metres above sea level – 7220 feet if you prefer – and that’s a good height above the threshold at which altitude can reasonably be expected to serve as an advantage for a better acclimatised football team against unprepared opponents.
As altitude increases, atmospheric pressure decreases along with air density. Above the 2000-metre mark, sportspeople experience a reduction in their aerobic capacity. In other words, the access their bodies have to oxygen is reduced.
Consequently, fatigue can occur more quickly because the heart, lungs and muscles are working less efficiently.
“In sports medicine, high altitude is considered anything greater than 1500 metres,” according to Physiopedia.
“At altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen is low in the lungs. The partial oxygen gradients between the alveoli and lungs and the blood where the oxygen is loaded, as well as between the blood and tissue where the oxygen is unloaded are decreased.”
There are much more severe effects at higher altitudes but the most significant concern at 2000 metres is that performance-limiting drop in aerobic capacity. Conversely, athletes who are acclimatised at this sort of altitude can take advantage of the lower air density and enjoy ‘less resistance to high-speed movements’.
England set out to win Group L and improve as the World Cup develops.
There was little evidence of that evolution against DR Congo but playing at Azteca in the round of 16 was always the plan. Indeed, it forms part of Tuchel’s best case scenario and England have a plan.
It’s understood that England will relocate to Mexico City two days before the match in order to aid their acclimatisation, which is known to be a vital factor in resetting the balance for athletes at altitude, but with no expectation that they could realistically acclimatise to enough of a degree to prioritise another extra day in Mexico over return to their World Cup base in Kansas City.
