England and Mexico are locked in talks with Fifa about moving their World Cup last-16 tie to 19:00 BST on Sunday.

Fifa has set to make the change and confirm in a statement on Friday, but both teams’ officials have been angered by the late proposed change.

The game was due to be played at the Azteca, Mexico City, at 01:00 BST on Monday (18:00 local time on Sunday).

Forecasts suggest there could be thunderstorms and heavy rain around that time, though Fifa is yet to provide any explanation for the proposed change.

Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay to play.

Fifa regulations for World Cup 2026 state it has the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”.

Football’s world governing body maintains no decision has been made on rescheduling the fixture.

Sources have told BBC Sport suggestions of a change, which was first reported by local media in Mexico, took the Football Association and its Mexican counterparts by surprise.

The Mexican journalist who broke the initial story said later on Friday that Fifa was ‘backing down’.

Reports in Mexico said the BBC was part of lobbying around the kick-off. The BBC was not involved in any discussions.

Before the initial news, planning for Sunday’s game was continuing as normal on Friday, with officials involved in planning and security discussions.

The match will be broadcast live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website and app.

‘Not ideal but it doesn’t really matter’

BBC Sport first contacted the FA at 19:00 BST on Friday following reports the fixture was being rescheduled.

At that point, the FA had not received any information about the kick-off time being changed.

Within half an hour, the FA had been informed by Fifa that it was exploring the possibility of rescheduling the fixture.

The reports broke as England’s players were finishing training at their Kansas City base.

Asked as he was leaving the pitch about the possibility of the game being moved, winger Marcus Rashford said it was “not ideal” but the squad would deal with it.

“I think for us it’s the same how we prepare for the game,” he said. “It has to be the same.

“We have to be focused. We have to be ready for anything. I think it’s one of our strengths as a group.

“Everyone, including the players and staff… we are ready for whatever challenges get thrown at us. So obviously it’s not ideal but also it doesn’t really matter.”

Forward Morgan Rogers was similarly unfazed, saying: “It’s just another obstacle to overcome. We’ll be ready regardless of the time.

“Earlier the better because you want to play. There is enough thinking about what is going to happen and the build-up – you just want to play the game.

“Getting that adrenaline out there will help us and get us going and playing. We’re looking forward to it whatever the time is.”

A cloud over the World Cup

The threat of extreme weather has been a constant throughout the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Fifa introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half for all World Cup fixtures because of the threat of high temperatures, though they have continued even in more comfortable conditions.

Mexico have already experienced interruptions to their preparations so far this tournament, with their last-32 tie against Ecuador delayed by an hour because of thunder and lightning in Mexico City.

The build-up to Sunday’s fixture has been dominated by talk about Mexico’s record at the Estadio Azteca and how England’s players will deal with the altitude.

The arena sits 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level, and Mexico have lost just twice in 89 matches at the iconic stadium.

At that altitude, the Earth’s barometric pressure is lower, making the air thinner and meaning less oxygen is taken into the bloodstream with each breath.

Even for professional footballers, that has a potentially significant impact – increased heart rate, shortness of breath, dehydration, quicker and more intense fatigue.

The fixture had been set to start in the early evening, when temperatures were forecast to be about 20C.

However, a midday kick-off is expected to see temperatures hit highs of about 23C, which will theoretically make conditions even more difficult.

France’s group-stage fixture against Iraq was delayed for over two hours because of safety concerns amid adverse weather conditions in Philadelphia.

Last summer’s Club World Cup, which was also hosted by the United States, had six major weather delays across the 63 matches played.

While most fans in England are likely to welcome an earlier kick-off time, the timing of Fifa’s decision could prove disruptive to supporters attending the match.

More than 3,000 England supporters are set to attend the fixture at the Azteca, which holds 87,000.

Plans that had been finalised weeks – or even months – in advance will now have to be changed to ensure they can make the match.

But plans at home had been altered too, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announcing on Thursday that emergency legislation had been passed to allow pubs in England and Wales to open until 5am on Monday.

It is unclear whether this decision will be reversed in light of the proposed changes.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel had urged parents to allow their children to watch the match in the early hours of Monday, and to “write an excuse for school" the next day.

Daily thunderstorms are normal in Mexico City at this time of year – but forecasts suggest the risk on Sunday is particularly high, and if those storms develop they could be severe.

Mexican government forecasters say troughs – small-scale low pressure features – are expected in the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere over central parts of Mexico on Sunday, making the atmosphere very unstable.

As the sun heats the air close to the ground, that instability will allow the air to rise rapidly – forming the big cumulonimbus clouds that produce thunderstorms. On Sunday these storms look likely to bring frequent lightning, and there is also the risk of hail.

Thunderstorm activity tends to peak around, or just after, the highest temperatures of the day – during the late afternoon and into the evening.

So moving the kick-off earlier could allow the match to take place before the worst of the thunderstorm activity gets going – although this is certainly not guaranteed.

There is still a chance of a shower at midday, but the chance is smaller than it would be later in the day – and any showers that do develop would be less likely to grow into severe thunderstorms.

Temperatures are likely to peak at 23C, several degrees higher than they will be at 6pm – although humidity in the middle of the day may actually be a little lower than it would be later on. (BBC)

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