Exposing the myth of the Estadio Azteca as England prepare for Mexico test | OneFootball

Chances are, in the hours since England booked their place in the round of 16, you will have heard someone mention how unbeatable Mexico are at the Estadio Azteca.

Ahead of England’s arrival there on Sunday, a lot of time will be devoted to the albeit impressive unbeaten run of Mexico at their national stadium. But dig a little deeper beyond the numbers and there is nothing too much for Thomas Tuchel to fear.

First of all, yes, it is true that Mexico have not lost at the stadium since September 2013 and are on an unbeaten run of 26 games – but a look at who they are playing suggests that stat is not as impressive as meets the eye.

In the time since their last defeat, Mexico have played Honduras and Panama four times. They have faced El Salvador, Costa Rica, the United States, Canada and Jamaica twice. They have played one game against New Zealand, Israel, Scotland, Guatemala and Portugal.

Aside from the final name, none of those opponents can really be considered to be part of the footballing elite can they?

The only previous World Cup winner to have played Mexico at the Azteca was Spain in 2010, in a 1-1 friendly draw during their post-celebration hangover phase.

There’s also been an awful lot of draws. In the last ten years, seven of the 21 games Mexico have played at the Azteca have ended in stalemates. Their wins have been against the likes of Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, South Africa and Ecuador. They could only beat Scotland 1-0. Scotland.

Mexico also have an appalling record when it comes to the round of 16. Before 2022, when they exited at the group stage, Mexico lost in the round of 16 in the past seven tournaments. Mexico have only ever made it past that round at tournaments they have hosted, and even then they lost the very next game.

Before 2026 and the creation of the round of 32, you have to go back 40 years to find the last time Mexico won a World Cup knock-out game.

England, then, should have nothing to fear when heading to Mexico City and, if something is going to stop them, the altitude would be the most significant factor.

The Azteca is 2,240 meters above sea level – Wembley is 50 metres – which means there will be fewer oxygen molecules entering the bloodstream of the already tired-looking England squad. But Scotland managed to play there without needing to pump Oli McBurnie full of added O2.

Let us not forget the Mexican players are subject to the very same conditions, and even if they more used to it, that does not make them invulnerable to it.

As for this World Cup, Mexico have looked impressive and are yet to concede but have faced teams ranked 54th, 32nd, 48th and 24th in the world.

So there is no need for fear ahead and any England fan making the commitment to watch the game live at 1am should not go into it with the assumption they are about to witness a real-life nightmare.