Harry Kane has handed Mexico a psychological head start before England have even landed in the capital.
England meet the host nation in the World Cup Round of 16 on Sunday, July 5th, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Both sides arrive unbeaten from the group stage — Mexico having dispatched Ecuador 2-0, England having laboured to a 2-1 win over Congo DR.
England's captain has already conceded one battle. It is not about the crowd, or the venue's history, or the ghosts of 1986 — it is the air itself, and Kane admits his side cannot beat it in time.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
The Azteca sits in Coyoacán, on the southern edge of Mexico City, and it is one of football's great cauldrons — 87,000 seats and a home crowd that has never seen Mexico lose a World Cup match there.
But the real problem is elevation. The stadium stands roughly 2,200 metres — around 7,200 feet — above sea level. The air holds close to a quarter less oxygen than teams are used to, and visiting players tend to feel it inside the first half hour: heavier legs, faster fatigue, a drop in tempo late on.
Speaking to reporters, Kane did not dress it up.
He said: "My understanding is we cannot adapt to the altitude. It's a huge advantage Mexico have. There's not enough time.
"We knew that before. It's just a disadvantage with which we will have to deal. But we showed the attitude."
The quotes were reported by Miguel Delaney of the Independent.
Kane knows an excuse will not fly. England were flat against Congo, and it was the captain himself who dragged them through — his goals the difference on a night the rest of the side struggled to click.
The altitude is real, but it is not new. Mexico were always going to hold an edge as hosts, on a ground built for exactly this. The Azteca record is not an accident.
Which is why Sunday is England's first genuine test of the tournament. Croatia and Congo told us little. A hostile, thin-aired Mexico City will tell us whether Thomas Tuchel's team are true contenders or not.
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