The reality behind Mexico’s Azteca record – how worried should England really be? | OneFootball

As England prepare to take on Mexico in the last-16 of the World Cup 2026, plenty of the build-up has been dominated by the altitude and the raucous atmosphere that the Three Lions will encounter.

However, anyone who’s read about the match at all will no doubt have seen the same statistic regarding Mexico’s fearsome record at their iconic home stadium, known colloquially as the Azteca.

A return of 70 wins, 17 draws and just two losses in 89 competitive matches since the stadium opened in 1966 makes for worrying reading for England fans, but just how impressive is that record, and is does it hold up under further analysis?

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England play at the Azteca Stadium for the first time since 1986 (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

El Tri’s record at the Mexico City Stadium certainly looks like a fearsome one, with wins against the likes of Brazil, Belgium and the USA in its storied history.

Those numbers are impressive no matter the calibre of opponents, with England by comparison having lost three times at Wembley in the last six years alone (to Denmark and Greece in the Nations League as well as to Italy in the delayed Euro 2020 final).

Moreover, Mexico have never lost at the Azteca in the World Cup, with the 2026 co-hosts having won nine games and drawn two across their 1970,1986 and 2026 campaigns. Before this year, wins came against Belgium, Iraq, Bulgaria and El Salvador, and they were playing at different venues on both occasions when they were eliminated.

At this summer’s tournament, El Tri have beaten South Africa, the Czech Republic and Ecuador at their home venue, with the latter win being their first World Cup knockout victory since hosting in 1986.

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Mexico exited the World cup at the round of 16 in seven straight tournaments between 1994 and 2018 (Getty)

As for their other competitive matches, including World Cup qualifiers, the full list of victories includes Jamaica (eight times), the USA (seven times), Canada (six times), Panama (six times), Costa Rica (five times), Trinidad & Tobago (three times) and Bermuda (twice), as well as Guyana, Guatemala, Haiti, Martinique and others.

Mexico’s most recent defeat at the Azteca came in 2013, when they lost 2-1 to Honduras in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.

El Tri have played 26 times at their home venue since then, beating sides including New Zealand, Israel and Scotland while drawing to Portugal. However, in their list of wins, Panama and Honduras are included four times each, while Costa Rica and El Salvador feature twice each.

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Mexico last lost at the Azteca in a competitive fixture in September 2013 (Getty)

Of course, these stats don’t say a lot about the most recent generation, so how have the current crop of players performed at home?

Since the end of the World Cup in December 2022, Mexico have played just six matches (including friendlies) at the Azteca, with three of them coming in this World Cup. The others were a win over Honduras and draws to Portugal and Jamaica.

So, while the Azteca record is impressive on paper, of the 26 games since that loss in 2013, the wins have come against sides currently ranked no higher than 30th, with that team being Canada.

Of course, El Tri’s recent performances in Concacaf competitions are more telling, with their victorious campaigns in the Gold Cup and Nations League in 2025 marking them out as North America’s best side. You would think Thomas Tuchel and co. will have done their homework there.

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Wins in the Gold Cup and Nations League have marked Mexico out as the best team in North America (Getty)

Aside from Portugal, England would be the best team to visit the Azteca in a competitive fixture since Brazil in the 2003 Gold Cup, so while altitude and atmosphere certainly do need to be considered, the home record is a case of stats not telling the full story.

As for England’s record at the Azteca, the Three Lions have played there twice. Both matches came at the 1986 World Cup, with the Three Lions beating Paraguay 3-0 before falling to Argentina in the quarter-finals. Tuchel has suggested karma might play a part as England get the perfect chance to banish the demons from that famous loss to Diego Maradona’s side.

Of course, it’s true that England will need to pull off a World Cup first by becoming the first team to beat El Tri at the Azteca in a World Cup. But there’s a first time for everything, right?