Mexican authorities have warned thunderstorms are expected during the first half of England’s World Cup last-16 tie with the co-hosts, which could lead to the tie being suspended.
The build-up to the match at the Azteca Stadium has been dominated by concerns over the weather, with talks having taken place over whether to move kick-off time forwards to avoid the worst of the weather.
Kick-off eventually was confirmed for the original time of 6pm in Mexico City, with England fans facing a 1am start back home.
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service has forecast there is an 80 per cent chance of thunderstorms in the two hours building up to kick-off.
The risk of thunderstorms is down slightly to 60 per cent for kick-off and the first half of the match.
The service then predicted the next two hours should reduce to rain showers.
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service has forecast an 80% chance of thunderstorms before kick-off between England and Mexico, dropping to 60% during the first half
England fans watching the clash with Mexico could be in for a long night because of weather
Thunderstorms could present a major issue, with FIFA’s rules dictating a match be suspended if lightning strikes anywhere within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.
The game then cannot resume until there are no further strikes in the area for 30 minutes.
Players will be taken from the field to the dressing room in the event of lightning strikes, while fans will be told to return to the concourses.
The forecasted thunderstorms pre-match and during the first half could lead to the suspension to the knockout clash between the co-hosts and Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Any delay will impact the millions of England fans who will be watching at home or in pubs across the country as it will push the game even further into the early hours of the morning.
Supporters are already braced for the tie to finish close to 4am if it goes to extra time and penalties but suspensions to the match because of weather could see it end closer to 6am, and possibly beyond.
Despite concerns over the weather, a half-time show has been planned at the Azteca to signal the end of Mexico’s hosting duties at the tournament.
Mexican band Mana, who were part of their opening ceremony last month, are scheduled to perform at half-time in the Azteca.
England previously dealt with a delay to their World Cup warm-up match, which saw thunderstorms lead to the kick-off of a match with Costa Rica being pushed back
Mexican band Mana are scheduled to play at half-time despite concerns over a delay
England were previously faced with a delay in a World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica last month.
The match in Florida was pushed back by an hour due to thunderstorms, with fans ordered to retreat to a safe position on the concourses.
Tuchel’s squad had yet to leave their hotel for the stadium and amended their plans for departure.
England captain Harry Kane said: ‘We know how much the World Cup means to everyone and all the fans at home, so I’m hoping there will be a few all-nighters to be honest, just going all the way through and celebrating until the next day and then catch up on some sleep after that.’
Pubs have been granted special permission by the government to remain open until the early hours because of the kick-off time – further raising the prospect of fans calling in sick for work on Monday morning – while schools are also allowing students to start later.
Such issues would have been allayed had FIFA stuck to their controversial plan to bring kick-off forward by six hours on what proved to be a chaotic day on Friday.
Talks were held about moving the match and Daily Mail Sport understands that a decision to move the game to start at 7pm – rather than 1am – was ‘all but done’ according to those with knowledge of the situation.
Sources added that significant pressure was placed on FIFA to make the change by the Mexican government following the deaths of three fans amid chaotic scenes after their last-32 victory over Ecuador. The expected adverse weather was another factor in the discussions, with flash flooding a particular concern.
England arrived in Mexico City on Friday ahead of their crunch tie with Mexico on Sunday
However, the proposals – which the FA was stunned to learn of via Mexican media – were met with an angry response from both England and Mexico, whose coach publicly lambasted the prospect.
FIFA eventually decided that the game could not be moved and, to cap a shambolic few hours, confirmation that the time would not be shifted, after all, came while England were in the air on their way from their training base in Kansas City to Mexico City.
Two matches at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico have already faced delays because of thunderstorms.
Mexico’s victory over Ecuador in the last 32, played at the Azteca, was suspended for an hour, while France’s win against Iraq in the group stage was delayed for more than two hours.
England arrived in Mexico City on Friday ahead of the game on Sunday and Mexican fans could disrupt the Three Lions’ preparations after the location of their team hotel was leaked.
Their hotel is being guarded by 100 riot police and steel barriers blocking access but they failed to keep the location a secret as hundreds of fans turned up to give them a hostile reception.
Before the tie with Ecuador, Mexico fans used loud speakers, horns and motorcycles, and set off fireworks, in the early hours in an attempt to disturb their opponents’ sleep, leading to a formal complaint from the South Americans.
England remain favourites to progress despite the chaotic build-up and the winner will face either Brazil or Norway in the quarter-finals.
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