What is Mexico City weather forecast for England’s World Cup clash at the Azteca? | OneFootball

The kick-off time of England’s last-16 clash with Mexico at the World Cup 2026 looks set to be brought forward by six hours in order to avoid potential storms in Mexico City.

Media in Mexico have suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) will now start at 7pm BST (12pm local) instead. The BBC are also reporting that they understand the game has been brought forward.

That is because of a significant risk of storms in the area when the match is currently scheduled and Mexico already saw their last-32 match against Ecuador earlier this week delayed due to rain.

Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay to play, something that affected France’s group-stage clash with Iraq.

What is the current forecast for the match?

With the match, for now, set to kick off at 6pm local time, the BBC details that temperatures will be around 17C with a 59% chance of rain.

However, that percentage increases to 72% by 7pm, when a potential thunderstorm could impact the match and produce a risk of flooding in the area of the Azteca stadium, around 10 miles south of the city centre.

Weather website AccuWeather has a similar forecast: 61% chance of rain around kick-off, though they have the risk decreasing to 44% an hour later.

Their brief summary for Sunday reads: “Cloudy with occasional rain and a thunderstorm later in the afternoon.”

Thunderstorms are forecast at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening (Getty)

What is the forecast for earlier on Sunday?

In contrast, the BBC forecasts that at midday local time – when the prospective new kick-off time is – temperatures would be 4C warmer at 21C but the risk of rain lower at 31%.

The risk of a downpour increases steadily as the afternoon progresses. AccuWeather has a similar reading.

It should also be noted that the Estadio Azteca, unlike many stadiums being used at the World Cup, does not have a roof which covers the whole pitch. Instead, their canopy covers about 80% of all the seats.

What are the weather rules?

Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay to play, something that affected France’s group-stage clash with Iraq.

These rules were set in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Any strike within eight miles starts a countdown of 30 minutes, which resets every time another lightning strike happens. If half an hour has passed, the players would re-enter the fray with a 15-minute warm-up before continuing the game.

England’s friendly with Costa Rica last month in Orlando was delayed by one hour due to heavy rain and the prospect of lightning. Six matches at last year’s Fifa Club World Cup in the USA were halted due to electrical storms.

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