Mexican authorities announce police action for World Cup clash against England after tragic incident

Mexican authorities have announced that 17,000 police officers will be deployed to the streets of Mexico City next Sunday for the highly anticipated 2026 World Cup clash between Mexico and England. Considered the biggest game in the history of Mexican football, the co-hosts are looking to reach the quarter-finals for the third time at the World Cup. The match is scheduled to start at 6pm local time (1pm BST) as planned.

Following the tragic death of four people in a crowd during post-match celebrations on Tuesday following Mexico's round of 32 victory over Ecuador, organizers are determined to avoid any similar incident this Sunday. About 1.5 million people filled the streets on Tuesday; that number could surpass 2 million on Sunday if Mexico wins. The game against Ecuador had 15,000 police officers, but that number will increase by 2,000 on Sunday, with around 6,000 officers expected on Paseo de la Reforma, the iconic 12km boulevard in the center of Mexico City.


Furthermore, after Ecuador players were disturbed by the noise at their hotel, a total of 100 riot police are guarding the England team's hotel for the next 24 hours to prevent similar disturbances. Although extreme weather and storms were considered when moving the match time forward six hours, local authorities also took into account the possibility of celebrations following an evening start rather than a midday start. However, FIFA has confirmed that the match at the Estadio Azteca will take place at 6pm as planned, despite an estimated 80% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon.

According to the tournament's security rules, any lightning detected within 13km of the stadium results in an automatic 30-minute delay to the match, something that affected France's group clash with Iraq. FIFA's regulations for the tournament state that they have the right to "cancel, reschedule or relocate" matches "at their sole discretion". Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was furious at the proposed change and criticized FIFA for its lack of consultation in an interview. Aguirre spoke to Spanish-Mexican journalist Joaquin Lopez Doriga on Radio Formula, saying: "It's like a punch in the stomach, it changes everything, the plan. It's not that it's completely ruined, but almost, because you have to swallow six hours of scheduled training.

"Obviously, we will respect what FIFA says. I didn't like it at all, nor did my players. Sure, the food, the nap, the sleep, the physical therapy, everything, everything, may seem trivial, but it's not. I can understand reasons and arguments, but they didn't consult me ​​and I'm actually quite angry. "This was all planned so that, from that day in Ecuador, we spoke, we knew the schedule, we knew the location, we didn't know the opponent, that's true, but in the end, yes, they harm me a little. We have no choice but to respect what FIFA says." An earlier start would have benefited fans in England, as 7pm would have been much more palatable than a 1am start. Acting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer relaxed licensing laws to allow pubs in the UK to stay open until 5am. There is also an ongoing debate about whether children should start school later in life.Monday morning to watch the game.

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