Spygate all over again as England delay Mexico arrival over prying eyes concern – report | OneFootball

England will reportedly delay their arrival to Mexico City to guard against fears of spying ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium this weekend.

The Three Lions will take on the co-hosts on Sunday, with the game kicking off at 1am BST on Monday morning, as they look to secure a place in the last eight.

Thomas Tuchel’s side face a daunting task against a Mexico side that has yet to concede a goal in the tournament up against the tournament co-hosts, who have yet to concede a goal this tournament and play their matches at altitude, 2,240 metres above sea level.

England are due to arrive in Mexico City on Friday and will spend two nights in the capital before the big showdown, with that decision in part to try and avoid any potential altitude sickness.

However, widespread reports, as per Metro, suggest that England feared that key training sessions in the build-up ‘would be targeted by spies looking to gain valuable insight on their team shape and selection’.

Those sessions are now expected to take place at England’s tournament base in Kansas City, where staff have screened-off training pitches and a heavy security presence is provided by the local police.

The issue of spying in football was back in the news late in the 2025/26 season when Southampton were ejected from the Championship play-off final after admitting to spying on the training sessions of semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

Leeds United were also fined £200,000 by the English Football League back in 2019 for watching opponents train before matches back when Marcelo Bielsa was in charge.

England also fear Ecuador hotel repeat

England don’t just have concerns over the potential of spying, though, as they also fear that the location of their hotel will be leaked and targeted by Mexico supporters before their crunch clash.

It was an issue that plagued Ecuador, who were beaten by Mexico in the Round of 32 in midweek, with their players kept awake by the home fans the night before the contest.

From midnight until the early hours of the morning on the day of the match, supporters gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Mexico City, where Ecuador’s squad was staying and used car horns, motorcycles and loudspeakers to disturb the players.

Ecuador have since submitted a complaint to Fifa, which read: “Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,” the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said in a statement.

“The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.”

England’s team hotel in Mexico, however, is expected to have roadblocks around its perimeter to try and guard against pre-game disruption.