England's World Cup round-of-16 match against Mexico faces significant disruption as a severe storm hits the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The scheduled 1am kick-off time could be delayed due to torrential rain, thunder, and lightning that swept across the city approximately three hours before the match.
Safety protocols triggered
The severe weather triggered the venue's electrical storm safety protocol, which prohibits anyone from entering the playing surface. Media representatives have been instructed to remain inside the stadium's media centre until conditions improve. Supporters have also been prevented from entering the stadium entirely, despite gates scheduled to open three hours before kick-off.
Players were expected to arrive roughly 90 minutes before the match, but their arrivals were delayed. The England team bus arrived slightly later than planned. Officials are monitoring the situation closely, with thunder described as deafening by those inside the stadium.
Decision timeline
No official decision on a potential delay will be made until approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled kick-off. Officials want to assess weather conditions as close to the start time as possible. If conditions remain unsafe, the match will initially be delayed by 30 minutes before being reassessed. Further rolling 30-minute delays will be implemented until it is deemed safe to play.
BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker confirmed that thunderstorms and shower clouds have been developing around Mexico City. He warned that these storms are likely to linger for several hours, threatening further disruption.
Previous weather issues
This severe weather follows a similar incident during Mexico's round-of-32 victory over Ecuador at the same stadium. In that match, the kick-off was delayed by an hour due to storms. Discussions had taken place earlier in the week about moving the fixture to midday local time due to the poor forecast, but both the English and Mexican football authorities opposed the proposal.
The Football Association resisted the early kick-off proposal because of the disruption it would have caused to travelling England supporters. The Mexican Football Federation also opposed the change, leading FIFA to stick to the original time.
Security concerns
Concerns regarding the timing also extended to security following a tragic crowd crush after Mexico's win against Ecuador, which resulted in four deaths. Senior officials had approached FIFA to alter the kick-off time to mitigate the risk of a repeat of those scenes.
