Former England defender Gary Neville was up in arms over the World Cup change some 48 hours before the Three Lions' encounter with Mexico22:31, 03 Jul 2026Updated 22:47, 03 Jul 2026Gary Neville has criticised FIFA for their 'willy-nilly' change as he feels England are at a 'disadvantage' for their World Cup last-16 clash with Mexico. Three Lions bosses have been left stunned by the prospect of their showdown with the co-hosts as their encounter could be brought forward six hours due to the threat of adverse weather.‌England were due to take on Javier Aguirre's side at 1am (UK time) but the proposed move will see them kick-off at noon local time. The forecasted inclement weather means that there is a threat of thunderstorms and potential flooding in Mexico City. But England and Mexican officials are said to have found out about the change at the 11th-hour.‌Thomas Tuchel had planned accordingly for the sweltering and uncomfortable conditions in the Mexico capital. However, the possible change from FIFA, which has yet to be confirmed, has scuppered plans and their preparations with the schedule focused on gearing up for a 6pm kick-off, local time.‌Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by _signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Neville, who was apart of the England coaching staff at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, believes the Three Lions' opponents have the upper hand.He said: "I would find it disruptive yeah, conditions are huge for England at a tournament we know that. We talk about heat a lot, playing at 12 in Mexico vs playing at six in the evening is very, very different.‌So for the players, for our players, its worse, let's be really clear. Its a sporting disadvantage to England. There is a sporting integirty issue here as well because I've never seen a League Two game moved, I've never seen a Sunday League game moved. FIFA are sort of willy nilly making it up and moving a game."It just feels a bit strange, you can put fan safety at the heart of it, but this stadium that has these conditions and would have a procedure to deal with that. To move a game two days out - I've never seen that at any level, ever."‌The former Manchester United captain continued: “In 2014, I was part of the coaching staff that went to Brazil and we played our first game at altitude in Manaus.“And you prepare every single minute of detail - obviously, we lost that game, but we played quite well in the first half - but you do prepare everything in relation to the conditions, kick-off time, when you fly in, so you’re exposed to the altitude at the right time.“It will be disruptive to England, they will not like this. The players, they’ll get on with it and they’ll never put anything negative out because they can’t because they would be defeatist. But if FIFA do do this, it is a disadvantage to England’s players and their preparations.”‌While England may be left feeling aggrieved by being blind-sided by the decision from the tournament organisers, they aren't the only ones with Agiurre angered by the lack of consultation.He said on Friday: "Like a kick in the stomach because clearly you change everything, the game plan, everything. Not that everything goes down the drain, but almost because you're changing six hours."I don't like it at all, but evidently we will abide by what FIFA says. But I especially don't like any of it, and neither do my players.‌"Not a minor change, the change is important," added the Mexico boss. "I can understand their reasoning and arguments, but nobody consulted me. I'm very upset."Thunderstorms and adverse conditions can severely impact football matches, especially at the World Cup. Already, France's 3-0 win over Iraq in the Group Stage was suspended by two hours, while Mexico's last knockout match, where they eventually beat Ecuador 2-0, saw kick-off delayed by an hour due to an electrical storm.The protocols surrounding electrical storms are based upon recommendations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as opposed to tournament organisers FIFA. According to their guidelines, matches must be halted and suspended if there is a discharge detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.Article continues belowContent cannot be displayed without consent