It seems the weather may influence England’s next World Cup football match as FIFA are locked in talks about potentially moving the Mexico v England match in the Round of 16. The 1am Sunday night kick-off would be far from ideal for viewers in England, especially those expected at work or school on Monday morning. It was set to kick off at 6pm local time but rumours abound that discussions are taking place due to the risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Update 7am Sunday - The Mexico v England 'last of 16' match will kick off at 01:00 BST on Monday as scheduled. There will be no scheduling change by FIFA.
Predicated rainfall over the next five days
The game at Estadio Azteca, or Mexico City Stadium as it is known for the tournament, might be moved forward six hours to midday local time, which would be a much more attractive 7pm Sunday evening start for viewers in the UK.
Television schedulers and broadcasters will be holding their heads in their hands if this isn’t sorted quickly. Police forces across England were already having to adapt and extend officers' working hours with the late announcement about extending pub opening hours - til 5am on Monday morning. The Football Association is still looking for clarity, after only hearing the rumours through the media.
England fans could still be travelling to Mexico City, but FIFA do have the right to cancel or reschedule matches. Thunderstorms have delayed the start of some matches in this tournament, including Mexico’s previous match against Ecuador.
Mexico City is not as hot as the northern venue of Estadio Monterrey, where games have to be in the evening to avoid temperatures in the low 30sC. It is the high altitude that will be more difficult to deal with. England wants to train at the site on Saturday
“Mexico City Stadium is Latin America’s largest soccer stadium (Estadio Azteca, formerly Banorte Stadium) is at 2,200m (7,200 feet), so the high altitude means thin air but not as hot, average daytime temperature 24C” How 16 World Cup stadiums handle the weather.
An additional pressure will be the intensity of the home crowd. By the end of the last match, the Mexican government estimated that some 1.4 million people celebrated in public places in Mexico City. After their win against Ecuador, the celebrations and some disturbances carried on overnight, and four people died, three from suffocation in the crowds.
Mexico City’s metropolitan area is one of the most populous on earth, with around 23 million residents. It is difficult to predict where and when showers will occur, although the likelihood and potential impacts can be identified. If there are concerns about the risk of flash flooding from the storms, there could be high impacts if there are so many people out in the city streets. Earlier in the day, the convective activity may not have started up yet.
Elsewhere in the US, from the Midwest to the East Coast, there are Extreme Heat warnings this weekend.
“A prolonged, dangerous heat wave will continue today in the Midwest and Mississippi Valley, and persist through the Independence Day weekend across the Ohio Valley, Mid-South, and East Coast.” NWS
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