World Cup: The impact of altitude at the Azteca stadium on the match between England and Mexico

After overcoming DR Congo 2-1 to progress to the last 16 of the World Cup, one of the biggest risks England face in their upcoming match against Mexico is something they cannot control - altitude. The Three Lions will play at the legendary Azteca stadium in Mexico City, 2,240m (7,220ft) above sea level. This will be England's first match at this ground since their controversial quarter-final defeat by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup. At this altitude, atmospheric pressure is lower, making the air thinner and meaning less oxygen is released into the blood with each breath. Even for professional players, this can have a significant effect - increased heart rate, shortness of breath, dehydration, and more rapid and intense fatigue.

In contrast, the highest stadium in English football is West Bromwich Albion's The Hawthorns, which is only 168m (551ft) high, nearly 14 times the height of Azteca. Opponents Mexico have played all their matches at home and their team is clearly used to the conditions - they have played 14 matches at the Azteca in the 2020s, scoring 23 goals and conceding just four. Their performance record at Azteca is 70 wins out of 89 matches, along with 17 draws and only 2 losses. They are also unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches here.

"As an opponent, you know that when you go there, you're going to suffer," said Pavel Pardo, the former Mexico captain, who also called Azteca home while playing for Club America. So what does altitude feel like for the players on the field, how big is the difference and what strategies are there to deal with it? Not many English players have competed at the Azteca since 1986, but even with advances in sports science and smarter preparation, those who have competed say the impact has been significant. "It's the most physically demanding place I've ever played football," said Nigel Reo-Coker, the former West Ham midfielder who played in the Concacaf Champions League final at the Azteca for the Montreal Impact in 2015. "Coming from Europe and playing at that altitude is very difficult. You can't catch your breath. The first 45 to 55 minutes you're really just trying to breathe. It's about football intelligence - you really have to choose the moments in which you move."

Thin air also means the ball can move faster when passed, affecting how matches play out tactically. Reo-Coker suggests that yoga or pilates can be a big help, along with knowing how to breathe from your diaphragm. These conditions are difficult for goalkeepers in particular, who can have difficulty handling the trajectory of the ball and the timing of crosses, according to Jason de Vos, who was a player and coach for Canada when they played at Azteca. "You can shoot the ball accurately and make things difficult for the goalkeeper from 40 yards," De Vos said. "You realize straight away that the game is going to be much quicker than you thought. As a coach you have to change tactics and adapt to the altitude. You have to change the way you want to press throughout the game - you simply can't do that."

Ideally, athletes competing at high altitudes should spend one to two weeks there to allow their bodies to adapt and produce more red blood cells. But England will only arrive in Mexico City two days before the match. “Maximum endurance strength at such altitudes is typically reduced by about 10%, and this affects performance,” Dr. said Barney Wainwright, senior research fellow at Leeds Beckett University. "There will typically be an increase in fatigue of between 15-20%. For the distance they can run, we expect that this will decrease by 5-10%. Players will produce lactate faster, creating acidity in their muscles, causing fatigue and slowing them down. Maximum running speed will not be affected, but players will need to wait a little longer to recover from each run and continue again. We need oxygen in the brain for cognition and performance. decisions, so especially in those moments of the match where the players are working very hard, this can influence important decisions."

He added: "England may want to slow things down more to give players time to recover between bouts of intense play." In rugby, England will face South Africa on Saturday in Johannesburg, at an altitude of 1,200 ft (5,751 ft) lower than Azteca, and the team has carried out high-altitude preparations including training in the gym while wearing special masks that reduce the flow of oxygen into the body. But training for other World Cup matches taking place near sea level has reduced England's ability to prepare for the high altitude. "It's really damage limitation," said Wainwright, who said individual players will react differently and some may have trouble sleeping. "Some may not be affected at all, while others we see are really struggling, hunching over to breathe more. I suspect we will see many substitutes used in the second half." Mexico have won all four of their World Cup matches to date, scoring eight goals and conceding zero. Their squad may not possess outstanding individual talent - just four of the 26 players are currently competing in one of Europe's top five leagues. But they showed hard work and resolute tactical prowess. Additionally, their familiarity with competing at this altitude, despite often facing lower quality opposition from North and Central America, makes them a very dangerous opponent. "You can see from the opponent's body language, especially in the second half because they will be a lot more tired," Pardo said. "They lose steam and you look at them and think 'okay, we're here, at home with our fans, they're having a hard time, we can do it.'

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