Inside the chaos of the rescheduled England match that never was - after FIFA U-turned on bringing Mexico face-off forward to avoid storm

By NICK PISA, SENIOR REPORTER and SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER Published: 00:49, 5 July 2026 | Updated: 00:58, 5 July 2026 Thunderstorms threaten chaos for England's World Cup showdown with Mexico on Monday morning – after a shambolic U-turn over the kick-off time sent fans reeling. Travel plans were thrown into a muddle when football chiefs embarked on a wild switch to start the game six hours earlier than scheduled, apparently to avoid forecasted torrential rain and lightning. It would have meant England vs Mexico kicking off at 6pm UK time on Sunday, rather than at 1am Monday morning, plunging the Three Lions' preparations into confusion and messing up flights and hotels for thousands of supporters. After hours of farce, uproar from fans and behind-the-scenes rows between FIFA and both the England and Mexico football associations, the match reverted back to its original start time, meaning 1am for supporters in Britain. However, forecasters are warning of a 90 per cent chance of thunderstorms around the time of the last-16 fixture at the Azteca Stadium. A weather alert cautions of 'a significant threat of severe thunderstorms and potential localised flooding…expected to peak between 6pm and 7pm', local time, which is due to be when the match is playing. FIFA's strict safety rules on extreme weather mean any lightning strike detected within eight miles of the stadium triggers an automatic 30-minute delay, and any further strikes reset the timer. Bleary-eyed fans in the UK already facing an ultra-late bedtime could be kept up all night, if the match is delayed until the storm passes. Employers are bracing for a pandemic of 'sickies' tomorrow morning. The shambolic change of the start time was initially revealed by Mexican media on Friday night, leading some to wonder if sabotage was afoot. Mexican fans had already threatened to disrupt the England team's first night of sleep in Mexico City by blaring car horns and setting off fireworks near the team hotel – prompting riot police to form a ring of steel around it. Harry Kane after scoring his goal against DR Congo on Wednesday. Bleary-eyed fans already facing an ultra-late bedtime could be kept up all night, if the match is delayed until the storm passes The Azteca stadium where England will face Mexico tomorrow morning. Forecasters are warning of a 90 per cent chance of thunderstorms during the fixture. A weather alert cautions of 'a significant threat of severe thunderstorms and potential localised flooding Andres Vaca, of Mexican broadcaster TUDN, broke the story of the potential switch in kick-off time at 6.30pm British time, leading to bewilderment at such a dramatic last-minute upheaval. At the time, England's squad was wrapping up an open training session in Kansas and the Football Association (FA) knew nothing about it. It was not until around 8pm that the 'stunned' FA was informed FIFA was indeed intending to alter the kick-off time – unprecedented for a World Cup match. It would mean tearing up the England camp's meticulous preparations involving meal times and adjusting activities for the high altitude. Mexican media was reporting the FIFA switch as fact, triggering mass confusion as travelling fans were put in limbo trying to work out if they needed to change flights and hotel bookings. Owen Pickering, 61, is spending £20,000 going to England's games with his family, and keeping hotel costs down by not arriving in Mexico until match day . If the kick-off had moved forward six hours, he said they 'wouldn't have made the match and I would have been heartbroken'. Mr Pickering, of Crawley, West Sussex, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'FIFA is rubbish, it's awful. They have no thought about anyone travelling to the game. Does it matter to them if we turn up? Not really. They don't care if it spoils it for everybody.' He added: 'There will be a lot of fans who would have been in the same position as us. I have a friend who was trying to move his flight and it was just a vast expense.' At about 9.30pm, England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City in the absurd position of still not knowing when their match would be. And the Mexico team's head coach Javier Aguirre was also furious at the proposed switch from 6pm to midday local time, calling it 'a kick in the stomach' and saying: 'There's absolutely no advantage to playing at noon. None whatsoever. It really throws a wrench into everything.' Harry Kane arrives in the Mexican capital. At about 9.30pm, England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City in the absurd position of still not knowing when their match would be. Before they left Kansas, the England team - briefed about the uncertainty -  put on a brave face. Midfielder Morgan Rogers said 'it's just another obstacle to overcome, we'll take it how it is', while Marcus Rashford declared: 'We have to be focused. We have to be ready for anything.' Amid speculation the time-change was designed 'for better TV viewing figures in Europe', the BBC got dragged into the row. Fox Sports in Spanish claimed the BBC, an official World Cup broadcast rights holder, was behind the move in order to secure a more favourable viewing time for its viewers in Britain. The BBC rubbished the claim, saying it was 'not involved in these discussions'. Eventually, after the backlash from both England and Mexico camps, and the nightmare logistics of upending schedules for police, military, the teams, officials and supporters, FIFA performed its spectacular U-turn. Andres Vaca, the Mexican journalist who broke the story and had stuck to it for hours, posted an apology. He tweeted: 'I made a mistake in confirming it. My apologies to everyone for that. But the information was real. So real that several journalists from different media outlets here in Mexico confirmed it with their sources. Well, even the BBC in England confirmed what I was saying. I made a mistake in presenting it as a fact. My apologies to everyone.' Official tournament weather reports specifically for the Azteca Stadium, produced for FIFA's planning purposes and seen by Sky Sports News, suggest there is still a 90 per cent risk of lightning storms at the stadium around kick-off. The reports say to expect 'lightning activity which may temporarily affect outdoor operations', and that match officials should 'maintain readiness for lightning safety procedures'. Multiple matches have already faced lengthy suspensions due to freak storms including Mexico's defeat of Ecuador at the Azteca, and France's win over Iraq. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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