England vs Mexico kick-off drama continues amid lightning risk at Azteca

The drama around England’s World Cup round of 16 clash with Mexico has continued after after fresh reports that have come out of the host nation ahead of the match between the pair.

The two sides have had to deal with an incredible amount of uncertainty around the kick off time of the fixture for the past few days as reports emerged that it could have been brought six hours from its original time, 1am British Standard Time, due to the expected weather conditions.

However, after hours of speculation, it was confirmed by FIFA that the match would be starting at the original time.

Less than two hours before kick off it appeared the match could be delayed due to safety protocols in place by FIFA when it comes to storms that carry the threat of lightning, which led to reports leaking that the squads of England and Mexico were told not to travel to the stadium.

However, despite this coverage from journalist Rob Dorsett within the hour of this report he had shared a video of the England team arriving at the Azteca Stadium.

This does not guarantee that the match will kick off at this time as the officials and FIFA may not deem it safe enough to start despite the teams being at the stadium, especially if lightning strikes near the venue,

It could mean England and Mexico would be in store for a similar delay to El Tri’s last fixture after it was delayed by an hour before they would go on to defeat the South American nation in the round of 32.

Thomas Tuchel’s men have not had the ideal preparation for this match, as they have not been fully aware of when this game would kick off, while there have been concerns their players would not get a good sleep as Mexico fans were being reported to have plans to travel to the Three Lions hotel to blast noise through the night to give the home nation an advantage.

Then there have been concerns about how the England team will be impacted by altitude and if this could have seen the Three Lions 'suffer,' leading to their elimination from the World Cup.

Mexico will be aiming to extend their fantastic record at home at the Azteca Stadium, as they have only lost twice in 88 matches at the Mexico City venue after its opening in 1966.

Fans react to the potential kick off delay

Kick off for fans who are watching from the United Kingdom was meant to be at 1am BST, with this late start seeing Prime Minister Kier Starmer taking unprecedented action in allowing pubs to stay open until 5am for supporters to watch to the end of the match.

However, if reports are to be believed, fans may not have the chance to do so if FIFA takes the decision to delay the game due to safety concerns because of the weather.

Fans have now reacted to the news of the potential delay to the match, and there appears to be classic British wit behind the comments being made on social media.

One fan said: “To be fair, it’s not as if it’s been forecast for a week, has it?. Had days to prepare for this.”

Another added: “If only they knew what the forecast was going to be, eh.”

While several individuals had the same idea on how to prepare for the match, now there was a chance of a delay if they have work in the morning.

A supporter simply said: “Time for a nap then.”