WPA/Getty Images POOL via AFP
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, visiting the property in London on June 19, 2026, asked FIFA not to postpone the start of the match between England and Mexico.
New political interference in the 2026 World Cup. Following the intervention of Donald Trump, who called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask him to reconsider the red card given to American striker Folarin Balogun to take part in the round of 16 against Belgium, another political figure has put his two cents into the competition.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted on Monday, July 6, that he intervened to prevent FIFA from delaying the start of Sunday night’s round of 16 match between England and Mexico in Mexico City.
A schedule change was considered due to possible bad weather in Mexico. The match would have started six hours earlier. But FIFA ultimately moved the meeting to 6 p.m. local time.
Adaptation to altitude
“We had to fight with the FA (Editor’s note) to get (the kick-off time) back to the original time.”This was stated by the leader of the Labor government during a reception in Downing Street.
According to the British PA news agency, he opposed moving the start of the match because it would have given the English less time to acclimatize to the altitude and thus give the Mexicans an advantage. Azteca Stadium is located at an altitude of 2240 meters. At such a height, with every effort the body loses oxygen, and the ball circulates faster and faster. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the start of the match was eventually postponed by an hour, to 19:00. local time.
England beat Mexico 3-2 after a tense match to progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway on July 11 in Miami.