Mexico’s manager is very upset with FIFA after he says the England game time was changed.
Mexico and England’s World Cup round of 16 match will now kick off six hours earlier, moving from 6pm local time to midday, confirmed by Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre. This change is because of worries that bad weather, like flooding and thunderstorms, could affect the game if it started at the original time.
In England, the original kick-off time of 1am BST had already caused a lot of buzz. People were talking about kids coming to school late just to watch the game and the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said pubs in England and Wales could stay open until 5am BST so fans could watch the whole match.
Luckily, because the match time has been moved forward, the game will now start at 7pm BST, which makes things easier for fans. FIFA hasn’t officially confirmed this change yet, but Aguirre told a journalist: “It’s like a kick in the gut; it changes everything, the plan. It’s not completely ruined, but almost, because we had six hours of scheduled training to adjust.”
He added, “We will follow FIFA’s decision, but I really don’t like it, and neither do my players. Small things like meals, naps, sleep, and therapy are all affected—it might sound trivial, but it’s not. We have 60 people working hard to help these 26 players win on Sunday. This change is important, and honestly, they didn’t ask me beforehand, which makes me quite angry.”
Before the game, many talked about Mexico’s advantage playing at the high-altitude Azteca Stadium compared to England. When asked if the new match time helped Mexico, Aguirre said firmly: “Not at all, zero advantage. This was planned since our meeting in Ecuador; we knew the schedule and venue but not our opponent. In the end, yes, it feels a bit unfair, but we have no choice but to accept FIFA’s decision.”