Read 4 minutes3 Jul 2026 08:55 AM IST
When England travel to Mexico for their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash, the name of their hotel will be a closely guarded secret. why Because the England team management have taken note of the plight of Ecuador, who traveled to Mexico for their Round of 32 match last week. Ecuador’s players spent a sleepless night in the city before their game, thanks to Mexico’s supporters, who used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles outside the team hotel (Hotel Westin) to harass the traveling team.
After Ecuador’s expulsion, the federation also filed an official complaint with FIFA.
Now England have plans to avoid a similar fate by spending two nights in Mexico City ahead of the match. The BBC reports, including keeping the name of their hotel a secret and using sleeping equipment.
According to the report, England team management will offer natural sleep remedies or white noise audio machines to any players who do not already travel with their own sleeping devices, such as ear plugs or sleep bands, to ensure their sleep is not affected by external forces such as boisterous Mexican fans.
Harry Kane’s two late goals sent England into the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup as the Three Lions beat Congo 1-0. But now they will need a more motivated Harry Kane when they face tournament co-hosts Mexico on their home turf.
England boss Thomas Tuchel said he was relying on karma for him. Tuchel referred to Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal at the Azteca against England in the 1986 World Cup. In an infamous incident, Maradona handballed the ball into the goal. This goal, along with Maradona’s other goals where he scored a virtuoso goal past several England players, led to England’s defeat.
Now, when England return to the stadium for the first time since that day, Tuchel believes karma will be there too.
When Tuchel was asked at a press conference if the ‘Hand of God’ would be in the air 40 years from now, he said: “Yes, it will reward us. We’ll get it back. It’s karma. Karma will come back for us. We’ll change it. I definitely remember Maradona’s World Cup. Two goals against England – one dribble and one will never stand these days.”
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Tuchel and England are also ready to challenge the Azteca’s stature.
The England vs Mexico match will be played at an altitude of over 2,000 meters above sea level.
“We will go one night before [than usual and travel on Friday]It makes sense,” Tuchel said. “The ball will fly differently. It might fly five yards higher. It’s just difficult. We just need experience. The recommendation is that you go either 10 days in advance — which is too long for us — or at the last minute, which is not allowed.
“We’ve spoken to teams that do and they say they travel too late on match day if they don’t have time to adapt. It’s not possible so we’ll find a mix in that, but it remains an inconvenience.”