adminFIFA is reportedly considering an unprecedented change to the kickoff time for the World Cup Round of 16 match between Mexico and England at Estadio Azteca.
UK-based England fans had been bracing for a 1 a.m. start, with the government permitting pubs to stay open until 5 a.m. However, weather concerns arose on Friday, as the Met Office predicted possible thunderstorms starting an hour before the scheduled kickoff—roughly between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time in Mexico City.
According to BBC Sport, the match time is now expected to be shifted due to the storm risk, with FIFA weighing what would be a historic move. Earlier suggestions pointed to a reschedule as late as 12 p.m. local time (7 p.m. UK time), and BBC now reports that this is the likely new slot. FIFA has yet to officially confirm the change or the specific reasoning behind it.
The Sun reports that the Football Association (FA) was alerted by FIFA on Friday about a possible time adjustment. SPORTbible has reached out to both FIFA and the FA for comment.
Why the Mexico vs England kickoff might be moved
Thunderstorms have already caused significant disruptions during the World Cup, particularly in the U.S. and Mexico. The France-Iraq group-stage match was delayed by nearly two hours due to severe weather, as U.S. safety rules require outdoor events to be paused for 30 minutes following each lightning strike.
Separately, FIFA has introduced a rule change affecting group-stage standings—one that could influence England’s campaign. Two teams have already gained from the adjustment.
As the tournament enters its second round of group games, some sides are securing knockout berths while others have been eliminated. On June 19, Mauricio Pochettino’s USA delivered a strong performance against Australia in Seattle, winning 2-0 through an own goal from Cameron Burgess and a header from Alex Freeman. That result sealed their place in the Round of 32, even with a Group D match against Turkey still to come.
Turkey, meanwhile, was knocked out after a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, who played the entire second half with ten men following Miguel Amorim’s red card for covering his mouth in San Francisco. Haiti also exited after a 3-0 loss to Brazil in Philadelphia.
Both Haiti and Turkey sit three points behind the third-place teams in their groups but cannot close the gap due to a little-known FIFA regulation change. Previously, overall goal difference was the primary tiebreaker if teams were level on points. But for this tournament, FIFA shifted to head-to-head records instead.
As a result, Turkey—having lost to both Paraguay and Australia—cannot advance even if they beat the USA in their final group match and catch Paraguay or Australia on points. The same applies to Haiti, who face Morocco after losses to Brazil and Scotland; even tying Steve Clarke’s side on points won’t be enough.
England could benefit from this rule if they beat Ghana on June 23. Should Thomas Tuchel’s side win and group rivals Panama fail to defeat Croatia, England would secure top spot with a game in hand. Ghana also has a chance to win the group if they beat England and Croatia don’t beat Panama.
Mexico, like fellow co-host USA, has already taken advantage of the new rule and advanced to the Round of 32 after wins over South Africa and South Korea.
FIFA used goal ratio until 1966, then switched to goal difference in 1970. UEFA already applies head-to-head criteria in its competitions, including the Champions League. The rule change aims to reduce the influence of extreme results—such as Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao, which could heavily skew goal difference.
Other tiebreakers
If teams remain level on points after three group matches, FIFA applies several additional criteria:
- Head-to-head points among the tied teams (effectively a mini-league excluding results against the fourth team).
- If still tied, head-to-head goal difference.
- Then head-to-head goals scored.
- In the unlikely event of complete parity, group goal difference, group goals scored, fair play records, and FIFA World Ranking may be used to decide who progresses and who is eliminated.
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