You could say that the FIFA World Cup is the height of football competition. And for Team England that’s gong to be true both figuratively and literally when it takes on Team Mexico next in the knockout round of 16. The Sunday game between England—known as the “Three Lions”—and Mexico—known as El Tri—will take place in Estadio Azteca, the famed stadium located around 7,220 feet above sea level.
England has been one of the betting favorites—behind only France, Argentina and possibly Spain—to eventually hoist the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy. But one wouldn’t be “Lion” to say that the altitude will be a concern. England has been playing close to sea level throughout the group stage and knockout rounds so far in Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts and New Jersey. So altitude will be new.
In fact, Team England arrived in Mexico on Friday just 49 hours before the scheduled kickoff on Sunday in Mexico City. England’s coach Thomas Tuchel has gone to heights to say that it will be “impossible” to overcome this “big disadvantage.” Team Mexico has lost only two times out of the 89 competitive matches they’ve played at the Azteca since 1966. Both of those losses came in September 2013 in World Cup qualifiers against the United States and Honduras.
Why Altitude Will Be Tougher For Team England
So, why exactly might this be an uphill battle for Team England? The higher you go in altitude, the lower the surrounding barometric pressure and thus the more spread out oxygen molecules become in the air, in effect reducing the density of oxygen. That’s why people often say that the air is thin on a mountain top.
This means less oxygen per breath. Lower barometric pressure also means less force in the lungs to push oxygen from there into your bloodstream. The oxygen saturation of your hemoglobin, which normally sits 98 percent can drop to 91 ot 92 percent. Less oxygen in your bloodstream means less oxygen getting to your body tissues. That’s less “cellular fuel” for your body tissues and the aerobic—meaning oxygen-based—metabolism that occurs there to do things like maintain, repair and build. You can feel it immediately in the form of weakness and fatigue.
At the same time, with less oxygen and thus less aerobic metabolism, your body has to compensate with more anaerobic metabolism. More anaerobic metabolism leads to more build up of more lactic acid in your muscles. That build up results in more soreness, the same kind of soreness that you feel when your muscles are exhausted.
The air at higher altitudes tends to be drier too. Drier air can lead to dehydration sooner. And dehydration can water down performance on the pitch, so to speak.
Team Mexico Has Had More Time To Adapt Than Team England
Over time, your body can adapt to such high altitude conditions. That includes producing more erythropoietin. This EPO in turn stimulates your bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. More red blood cells can then carry more oxygen to your different body tissues.
But this adaptation takes time, often weeks. Players on Team Mexico certainly have been under such conditions way long enough to have adapted. But players on Team England haven’t. Their match schedule required them to spend most of the previous weeks in the United States. Their last match, a 2-1 round of 32 defeat of DR Congo at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, came on July 1. That didn’t give much time for the change in venues.
Therefore, the altitude might adversely affect Team England in different ways. Football—or soccer as it is called in the U.S.—is a combination of speed and endurance. Players have to stay moving for long periods of time. If you notice, there are no beds on the pitch. At the same, time they have to be always ready to sprint.
What Steps Can Team England Take To Deal With The Altitude
Team England may not be able to beat the altitude. But might it at least beetroot it? Some have suggested that the nitrates in beetroot juice might help blood vessels relax and thus increase blood flow. But the evidence remains mixed on this. In fact, there are suggestions hat nitrates could actually do the opposite: worsen altitude-related symptoms.
A safer bet is to stay well-hydrated, This can increase blood volume and thus improve blood circulation. I’ve already written in Forbes about the benefits of hydration. Maintaining good nutrition can help too. So can a good amount of rest and sleep.
Team Mexico will certainly enjoy some home field advantages with the altitude and its fans. But should Team England certainly will be far from the first team that has to deal with such disadvantages. Whoever ends up winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup will end up having to climb a mountain in more ways than one.
