📂 Categoría: Football,World Cup | 📅 Fecha: 1782932749
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England could face a seriously weather-affected last 16 clash against Mexico at the World Cup this weekend.
The Three Lions beat DR Congo 2-1 in Atlanta to get their knockout phase campaign up and running.
Victory has sent England into the next round for what will be a huge match against co-hosts Mexico, who beat Ecuador 2-0 in the round of 32.
Kick-off for that match at the iconic Estadio Azteca in the capital of Mexico City is scheduled for 6pm local time on July 5.
For those watching in the UK, play is due to start at 1am on Monday, July 6.
However, according to the Met Office forecast at the time of writing, thunderstorms are expected to begin an hour before kick-off.
This means the start of the match could be delayed due to lightning in the vicinity of the Estadio Azteca.
With England fans in the UK already facing a very late night before the working week begins, they may be staring at the possibility of even less sleep…
What are the World Cup weather rules?
Severe weather has already impacted matches at the World Cup in the United States and Mexico.
England have already experienced this as their friendly against Costa Rica was hit by weather delays.
When France beat Iraq 3-0 in Philadelphia, a thunderstorm caused a two-hour delay.
Mexico and Ecuador also had to wait an extra hour to start their last 32 match because of a thunderstorm in Mexico City.
According to US rules, play must be stopped if a lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium.
A match can only resume after 30 minutes has passed since the last lightning strike and that countdown resets if more inclement weather arrives.
Chelsea found this out the hard way during a two-hour weather delay close to the end of a match against Benfica at last summer’s Club World Cup.
Besides the fans, this also has implications for the players, who must find ways to stay loose despite being forced off the pitch.
How could the Estadio Azteca be affected?
Mexico is currently in its rainy season, with heavy rain showers common in the afternoons.
While hurricane-like conditions are unlikely until September, the Estadio Azteca is braced for thunderstorms due to the local climate and geography.
The stadium is located approximately 2,200 metres above sea level in Mexico City.
To put this into context, it is 855 metres higher above sea level than the summit of the United Kingdom’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.
At such elevation, the risk of thunderstorms forming at the Estadio Azteca is increased.
Thunderstorms are usually linked with cumulonimbus clouds, which form through the rising and cooling of warm and moist air.
They could initially be recognised as other clouds such as cumulus, stratocumulus, or altocumulus.
However, they turn into cumulonimbus clouds when they grow and begin to form ice crystals at higher altitudes.
Cumulonimbus clouds do not always create thunderstorms but, if there is thunder and lighting, it is typically categorised in this way.
In addition, players and fans could be impacted by altitude sickness.
Symptoms include headaches, tiredness and dizziness, but altitude sickness is more common when at 2,500 metres plus above sea level.
Estadio Azteca is a ‘cathedral’
Mexico have an outstanding record at the Estadio Azteca with 70 wins, 17 draws and just two defeats coming from 89 matches there.
Furthermore, they have never lost in ten World Cup matches at the 87,523-capacity stadium.
Three of those have ended in victory this summer with a combined total of seven goals scored and zero conceded.
Should they beat DR Congo, England will be gearing up for what is set to be an incredible atmosphere against Mexico.
Mexican football expert Lalo Lopez joined talkSPORT Breakfast to explain how big of a role the stadium plays. He said: “It’s a great advantage.
“The atmosphere is absolutely incredible for our team. I think they missed that atmosphere because the last couple of years were kind of tough for our guys.
“The Azteca Stadium wasn’t so comfortable for them and nowadays, they are establishing this mixture with fans in a way that we couldn’t imagine before the tournament.
“Now, the Azteca is our fortress, it’s our cathedral, there are 80,000 fans cheering as if we are almost world champions. Of course, we are not, but we think that we are.
“That’s the thing about Mexico fans, we think we are the best in the world, even though we know we are not.
“But that’s the thing that Mexico fans feels about themselves, we think too much about ourselves and we have so much self-esteem. It’s very likely to be seen in the Azteca Stadium.”
England could face a seriously weather-affected last 16 clash against Mexico at the World Cup this weekend.
The Three Lions beat DR Congo 2-1 in Atlanta to get their knockout phase campaign up and running.
Victory has sent England into the next round for what will be a huge match against co-hosts Mexico, who beat Ecuador 2-0 in the round of 32.
Kick-off for that match at the iconic Estadio Azteca in the capital of Mexico City is scheduled for 6pm local time on July 5.
For those watching in the UK, play is due to start at 1am on Monday, July 6.
However, according to the Met Office forecast at the time of writing, thunderstorms are expected to begin an hour before kick-off.
This means the start of the match could be delayed due to lightning in the vicinity of the Estadio Azteca.
With England fans in the UK already facing a very late night before the working week begins, they may be staring at the possibility of even less sleep…
What are the World Cup weather rules?
Severe weather has already impacted matches at the World Cup in the United States and Mexico.
England have already experienced this as their friendly against Costa Rica was hit by weather delays.
When France beat Iraq 3-0 in Philadelphia, a thunderstorm caused a two-hour delay.
Mexico and Ecuador also had to wait an extra hour to start their last 32 match because of a thunderstorm in Mexico City.
According to US rules, play must be stopped if a lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium.
A match can only resume after 30 minutes has passed since the last lightning strike and that countdown resets if more inclement weather arrives.
Chelsea found this out the hard way during a two-hour weather delay close to the end of a match against Benfica at last summer’s Club World Cup.
Besides the fans, this also has implications for the players, who must find ways to stay loose despite being forced off the pitch.
How could the Estadio Azteca be affected?
Mexico is currently in its rainy season, with heavy rain showers common in the afternoons.
While hurricane-like conditions are unlikely until September, the Estadio Azteca is braced for thunderstorms due to the local climate and geography.
The stadium is located approximately 2,200 metres above sea level in Mexico City.
To put this into context, it is 855 metres higher above sea level than the summit of the United Kingdom’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.
At such elevation, the risk of thunderstorms forming at the Estadio Azteca is increased.
Thunderstorms are usually linked with cumulonimbus clouds, which form through the rising and cooling of warm and moist air.
They could initially be recognised as other clouds such as cumulus, stratocumulus, or altocumulus.
However, they turn into cumulonimbus clouds when they grow and begin to form ice crystals at higher altitudes.
Cumulonimbus clouds do not always create thunderstorms but, if there is thunder and lighting, it is typically categorised in this way.
In addition, players and fans could be impacted by altitude sickness.
Symptoms include headaches, tiredness and dizziness, but altitude sickness is more common when at 2,500 metres plus above sea level.
Estadio Azteca is a ‘cathedral’
Mexico have an outstanding record at the Estadio Azteca with 70 wins, 17 draws and just two defeats coming from 89 matches there.
Furthermore, they have never lost in ten World Cup matches at the 87,523-capacity stadium.
Three of those have ended in victory this summer with a combined total of seven goals scored and zero conceded.
Should they beat DR Congo, England will be gearing up for what is set to be an incredible atmosphere against Mexico.
Mexican football expert Lalo Lopez joined talkSPORT Breakfast to explain how big of a role the stadium plays. He said: “It’s a great advantage.
“The atmosphere is absolutely incredible for our team. I think they missed that atmosphere because the last couple of years were kind of tough for our guys.
“The Azteca Stadium wasn’t so comfortable for them and nowadays, they are establishing this mixture with fans in a way that we couldn’t imagine before the tournament.
“Now, the Azteca is our fortress, it’s our cathedral, there are 80,000 fans cheering as if we are almost world champions. Of course, we are not, but we think that we are.
“That’s the thing about Mexico fans, we think we are the best in the world, even though we know we are not.
“But that’s the thing that Mexico fans feels about themselves, we think too much about ourselves and we have so much self-esteem. It’s very likely to be seen in the Azteca Stadium.”
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| 📰 Publicación: | talksport.com |
| ✍️ Autor: | Robert Calcutt |
| 📅 Fecha Original: | 2026-07-01 18:43:00 |
| 🔗 Enlace: | Ver artículo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artículo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglés al español para facilitar su comprensión. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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