England were greeted by booing crowds as their team coach pulled up to their hotel ahead of Sunday’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico.
Hundreds of locals gathered outside the hotel as England arrived on Friday, with some chanting “Mexico” and others making their feelings clearly known.
Members of Mexico’s National Guard lined the hotel entrance, while police officers in riot gear stood beside barriers on the road outside.
The hostile welcome, however, is just one of several significant challenges Thomas Tuchel’s side must navigate before kick-off at 01:00 BST on Monday.
Ecuador lodged a noise complaint with Fifa after Mexico supporters used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles outside their hotel late at night before their last-32 meeting.
Mexico went on to win that game 2-0, and England are acutely aware that sleep disruption could become a serious problem ahead of their own match.
England’s players and staff will be offered natural sleep remedies or white noise machines to help combat any overnight disturbances from local supporters.
Attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers addressed the issue directly, saying: “I won’t be happy if it wakes me up – I’ll be honest. We’ll see how it goes but we’ll deal with it as best as possible. It’s just another obstacle to overcome but we’re ready.”
The weather presents another major concern, with BBC weather presenter Ben Rich warning that Sunday carries a particularly elevated storm risk in Mexico City.
Rich explained: “Daily thunderstorms are normal in Mexico City at this time of year – but forecasts suggest the risk on Sunday is particularly high, and if those storms develop they could be severe.”
He added: “On Sunday these storms look likely to bring frequent lightning, and there is also the risk of hail. Thunderstorm activity tends to peak around, or just after, the highest temperatures of the day – during the late afternoon and into the evening, which could affect kick-off.”
Mexico’s previous match against Ecuador at the same venue was delayed by a full hour due to thunder and lightning, and a similar disruption remains a genuine possibility.
Fifa had considered moving the kick-off forward by six hours to avoid the worst of the forecast storms, prompting anger from both the Football Association and Mexico’s football federation.
That proposal has since been dropped, with the game remaining at 18:00 local time, though delays on the night itself cannot be ruled out depending on conditions.
Altitude presents arguably the most significant physical challenge, with Mexico City sitting at an average elevation of around 2,240 metres above sea level.
Dr. Barney Wainwright, senior research fellow at Leeds Beckett University, explained: “Maximum aerobic capacity at this kind of altitude usually drops around 10%, and that has a knock-on to performance. Maximum sprint speeds won’t be affected, but players will need to wait a bit longer to recover from each one and go again.”
Tuchel himself has acknowledged that his team face a “big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it,” having arrived in Mexico City only two days before the match.
Mexico, by contrast, have played all of their matches so far at high altitude, giving their players a considerable acclimatisation advantage heading into this fixture.
According to the Daily Mail, one reason England delayed their departure from their Kansas City base was to prevent opponents from spying on their training sessions and tactical preparations.
Tuchel reportedly wanted to protect his tactical plans, with England’s training ground in Kansas City considered better secured against outside surveillance than La Cantera, Pumas’ training ground in Mexico City where they are due to train.
