Tuchel Says England Cannot Adapt to Mexico City’s Altitude

News Desk

Atlanta: England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted his side will be unable to fully adapt to the high altitude of Mexico City before Sunday’s FIFA World Cup round-of-16 clash against hosts Mexico, describing the challenge as “impossible” to overcome in just a few days.

England booked their place in the knockout stage after coming from behind to defeat Congo DR 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday. Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes after Brian Cipenga had given Congo DR an early lead, taking the England captain to 13 World Cup goals and five in the current tournament.

The Three Lions are due to face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, situated around 2,240 metres (7,220 feet) above sea level. England, who are based in Kansas City, are expected to return there before flying to Mexico City on Friday, leaving little time to acclimatise.

Speaking after the victory, Tuchel acknowledged the physical challenge posed by the altitude but expressed confidence in his team’s mentality.

“The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It’s simply impossible,” Tuchel said.

He added that the match would present several obstacles beyond the playing conditions, including travel demands and the atmosphere created by the home crowd.

“It is one of the biggest and most exciting fixtures you can have. There will be many challenges waiting for us, but we are ready to face them,” he said.

Tuchel also referred to concerns surrounding team preparations after Ecuador lodged a complaint to FIFA over fireworks outside their hotel before their defeat to Mexico earlier in the tournament.

“I’m not sure if the travel will be smooth or whether there will be noise outside the hotel, but whatever comes, we’ll deal with it,” he said.

While conceding the altitude advantage to Mexico, Tuchel insisted England have already acclimatised to the expected heat and humidity after holding an extended pre-tournament training camp in Florida.

“We arrived in the United States early and spent plenty of time training in hot conditions. The heat and humidity won’t be a problem for us,” he said. “But altitude is different. It takes much longer to adapt, and with only three days between matches, that’s not possible.”

The winner of Sunday’s encounter will advance to the quarter-finals to face either Brazil or Norway. Additional input from ESPN website.