Pubs, schools and police brace for England-Mexico 1am kick-off

Image source, PA Media By Matt Spivey Published 4 July 2026, 10:46 BST Updated 1 minute ago England's early morning World Cup match against Mexico will kick off as originally planned at 01:00BST (18:00 local time) on Monday, after Fifa U-turned on a plan to bring it forward by six hours due to thunderstorms. Sources told BBC Sport the fixture at Mexico City Stadium had been expected to be moved to 19:00 BST on Sunday - but after further talks football's governing body decided against it . The last-16 knockout match will not finish until 03:00 at the earliest and schools, business and the emergency services are preparing accordingly. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Thursday pubs will be able to stay open until 05:00 which could spell a difficult Monday morning for many. Five and a half hours that left England's World Cup tie in chaos Published 8 hours ago Tuchel wants young England fans to stay up for 1am World Cup clash - but should they? Published 1 day ago BBC offers 'Stay Up or Catch Up' for England v Mexico Published 23 hours ago The now rejected earlier kick off was said to be due to thunderstorms in Mexico which tend to peak around, or just after, the highest temperatures of the day during the late afternoon and early evening. The Football Association had also been involved in planning and security discussions after four people died following Mexico's last-32 victory over Ecuador in Mexico City on Tuesday. An earlier kick-off time time would have allowed the match to take place before the worst of any thunderstorms - and ruined the plans of many England fans arriving in Mexico City for the game. News of the proposed changes angered officials, Mexico manager Javier Aguirre described it as "a kick in the stomach". Image source, PA Media Image caption, England fans already in Mexico City are soaking up the atmosphere with rival supporters England fans travelling to Mexico City for the match may be relieved they don't have to move their plans around. More than 3,000 England fans are set to attend the fixture at the Azteca, which holds 87,000. Travel plans are often finalised months in advance, and changing them at short notice can be costly to supporters. Owen Pickering, who is travelling to Mexico with his sons, aged seven, 16 and 23, told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday it was "lucky it all changed". If the kick-off had moved to 12:00 local time they "wouldn't have made the match", he said. He explained his journey includes a flight to Orlando, Florida, today and then from Tampa to Mexico on Sunday, landing around 11:00 - which would have meant he and the eight others he is travelling with would have missed the game. Pickering arranged for his children to miss school, costing £160 each, and he "took a gamble" on England winning the group stage and spent £1,300 on the flights. "The whole thing has been very expensive," he added. On how Fifa handled the U-turn on the kick-off time, he said: "It's rubbish. There's no thought abo