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The night before the game: noise and passion in Santa Fe

The England team had a noisy early morning in Mexico City. A group of Mexican fans gathered outside the Marriott hotel in Santa Fe to interrupt the break of “The Three Lions” before the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico.

According to reports from ESPN, around 1:00 am, about 45 people gathered in front of the building. They carried fireworks, horns, plastic trumpets and musical instruments. The intention was to wake up the players led by Thomas Tuchel, a strategy similar to the one used before against Ecuador in the Round of 32.

However, the security device prevented entry to the hotel. The fans stayed on a pedestrian bridge about 200 meters away. There they chanted slogans for half an hour, until they dispersed without incident, according to the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City in X.

The agency indicated that the rally was called by an influencer.

The decisive duel

This Sunday, July 5, Mexico and England face each other for a ticket to the Quarterfinals. The match will be played at the Mexico City Stadium (formerly Azteca) at 6:00 p.m. The broadcast will be on Las Estrellas, Channel 5, Azteca 7, TUDN and the ViX World Cup pass.

The English team arrived on Friday, July 3, at the Toluca International Airport and moved to the hotel. On Saturday he trained at the Cantera facilities, home of the Pumas of Liga MX.

The preview already left a preview of the intensity that will be experienced in the stadium: Mexican fans ready to cheer on their team, regardless of the time or obstacles.

The confidence of the Basque

Twelve games without defeat, only two goals conceded and football on the rise. These are the arguments that sustain the enthusiasm of the Mexican National Team before facing England in the round of 16 of the World Cup.

“Believe” is the word that Javier Aguirre repeats before the duel at the Mexico City Stadium.

“If I didn’t believe we could beat England, I would even tell you, but I fervently believe in how the team works. We know it will be a very close match and the one who makes the fewest mistakes will be the one who will win.”

After beating Ecuador, Mexico broke a 40-year streak without winning a World Cup knockout phase match. Today the mood is different, but the pressure does not change for the national strategist.

“More work in quantity, yes, but pressure always exists, whether it’s a friendly in the United States or in Torreón. The National Team has pressure, and that helps you grow, be better.”

The coach has achieved an unprecedented group unity in this Cup. Neither in Korea-Japan 2002 nor in South Africa 2010, according to Aguirre, had this connection been felt.

“I would tell you that this analysis is yours. I say it without fear of being wrong, because the three times I tried to capture these concepts that I have today, I’m sure I didn’t achieve it, it wasn’t as noticeable or it didn’t have as much of an impact, but we always put together competitive teams.”

The round of 16 match is this day. Mexico trusts that its defensive solidity and the support of millions of fans will make the difference.

Atmosphere in the Mexico City Stadium

The field of the Mexico City Stadium will be the scene this Sunday of one of the most anticipated matches by the national fans: the clash between Mexico and England for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

The team led by Javier Aguirre will seek to take a historic step towards the world title. To do this, it will have the support of thousands of followers in the stands and millions more from different parts of the country and abroad.

With the intention of creating an unbeatable atmosphere and dyeing the stands green, white and red, the organizers prepared a special surprise: the placement of Mexican flags in different sectors of the stadium to be used during the match.

The idea is for fans to show their support from the warm-up and accompany the team during the 90 minutes with a spectacular tricolor mosaic. In images spread on social networks, the staff of the building can be seen distributing the flags in the seats, ready to be waved when Mexico takes the field.

The match promises a historic night. The fans are already preparing to cheer on the Tricolor in search of advancing to the quarterfinals.