BBC Breakfast presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty confirmed on Saturday that England's World Cup match against Mexico will proceed at 1am BST on Monday morning, dashing hopes of an earlier kick-off for fans.
FIFA U-turns on Rescheduling
Football's governing body had considered moving the match to 7pm BST on Sunday due to forecast thunderstorms at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. However, after backlash from English and Mexican officials, FIFA decided against the change.
Charlie Stayt announced: "England's World Cup match against Mexico will still kick off at 1am here in the UK after FIFA U-turned on a plan to bring the game forward." Naga Munchetty added: "Football's governing body was set to reschedule the fixtures to 7:00pm on Sunday evening due to threats of thunderstorms."
Concerns for Fans and Players
The proposed change angered both sets of officials, who considered the impact on fans and players. Sports reporter Mike Bushell explained that two large flights were due to arrive on Sunday—one at 9:55am and another at 11:55am local time—which would have been too close to the proposed 12:00pm local kick-off.
Bushell said: "Any delays in security, it's not enough time, is it, to get to the stadium. It would've thrown their plans into chaos, and imagine the money they'd spent already. You'd have to rearrange flights again, or even miss the game, having got a ticket, that would've been too much. So, I think at the end of the day FIFA have listened to those concerns. It would've been an unprecedented move to bring it forward by six hours, not just a couple of hours."
Weather and Match Regulations
During the broadcast, viewers were shown FIFA's tournament rules regarding weather concerns. The regulations state that FIFA "has the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches (or entire FIFA World Cup 26) for any reason at its sole discretion."
England striker Marcus Rashford commented on the weather concerns, telling the BBC: "It doesn't matter, it's a game of football at the end of the day. It might be a small adjustment that we need to make, but in the end it doesn't change our outlook on the game and what we're trying to do."
Match Details
England face Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The match kicks off at 1am BST on Monday morning, meaning fans will need to stay up late or set their alarms to catch the action live on BBC.
