The excitement continues as England and Mexico’s match kick-off faces delays because of lightning at the Azteca stadium.
The excitement around England’s World Cup round of 16 match against Mexico has kept growing with new updates coming from the host country before the big game.
There’s been a lot of uncertainty about the kick-off time over the past few days. Initially, the match was set for 1am British Summer Time, but some reports suggested it might be moved six hours earlier because of expected bad weather.
After lots of guessing, FIFA finally confirmed the game will start at the original time.
Just under two hours before kick-off, it looked like the match might be delayed due to safety rules about storms and lightning. Reports even said both teams were told not to travel to the stadium.
However, journalist Rob Dorsett soon shared a video showing the England team arriving at the Azteca Stadium, so things looked hopeful.
That doesn’t guarantee the game will start on time, though. Officials and FIFA could still decide to delay it if lightning strikes near the stadium.
If that happens, England and Mexico might face a delay similar to Mexico’s last game, which was postponed for an hour before they won in the round of 32.
England’s coach Thomas Tuchel and his team haven’t had the easiest preparation, as they’ve been unsure about the match time. Plus, there were worries their players might miss good sleep because some Mexico fans were reportedly planning to make noise outside their hotel to give the home team an edge.
There have also been concerns about whether England will be affected by the high altitude, which some fear could hurt their chances in the tournament.
Mexico will be looking to keep their great record at their home Azteca Stadium, where they have lost only twice in 88 games since 1966.
For fans in the UK, the game was set to start at 1am BST, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer even allowed pubs to stay open until 5am so supporters could watch the whole match.
But if the game gets delayed because of safety worries about the weather, fans might not get that chance.
People on social media have been joking about the possible delay with classic British humour.
One fan said, “Well, it’s not like the forecast just popped up—there were days to prepare for this.”
Another joked, “If only they’d known what the weather was going to be, right?”
And with the chance of a late finish, some had the same plan if they have to be up early the next day.
One supporter said simply, “Time for a nap then.”