FIFA considered rescheduling England’s World Cup round-of-16 game against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca primarily because of concerns raised around the safety of supporters, with weather an additional, but not key, driver of the talks, The Athletic can reveal.Sunday’s match will start as originally planned, at 6pm local time (8pm ET; 1am Monday BST), but only after emergency discussions were held over bringing it forward by six hours.FIFA sources initially pointed to concerns over possible weather disruption, including flooding. The Athletic’s weather expert Aaron Mentkowski reported earlier on Friday that the forecast appears to predict a typical summer day in Mexico City on Sunday.The Athletic has since been told by sources with knowledge of the decision-making process, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, that it was in fact safety and security concerns for fans of both teams attending the game that were the primary drivers for the potential change.Discussions over moving the game intensified after four Mexico fans died during the celebrations following the country’s round-of-32 win over Ecuador with organizers putting avoiding a repeat of the tragic events as the highest priority. That game was policed by 15,000 officers.Meetings accelerated Thursday with concerns over the ability of local organizers to ensure the game could pass through safely and without incident, with the earlier kick-off time seen by many involved as a safer course of action for all in attendance.The case was made that an evening kick-off, allowing a day of drinking and partying to bleed into the match, would add to fears of consequences later in the night after the game.That the discussions were held at all, despite the scale of the logistical challenge of rescheduling a game at such short notice, and the criticism that would have followed from many stakeholders, is indicative of just how seriously the risk of playing at the originally planned time was taken.The game will go ahead as planned with the anticipated pushback from those directly involved on the performance side, including Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre — and inconvenienced fans — contributing to FIFA walking back a decision that had been all but made internally.The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will host Sunday’s game at the originally planned time. (Molly Darlington / Getty Images)A chaotic day saw stakeholders involved in logistics across World Cup cities taken aback by FIFA’s lack of clarity throughout.Sunday’s other last-16 tie between Brazil and Norway at MetLife Stadium was also at risk of being rescheduled to avoid a clash and got as far as the offices of the governors of New York and New Jersey being made aware of a potential 4.30pm ET kick-off time, before it, too, was confirmed as being played at its original time of 4pm.When approached by The Athletic, a FIFA spokesperson said the governing body had no concerns over the holding of the game at the originally planned time.The BBC, which will broadcast the game in the UK at 1am local time, was forced to deny its own involvement in the talks after reports to the contrary in Mexico. “The BBC were not involved in these discussions,” it said in a statement.FIFA’s 2026 World Cup regulations state that world football’s governing body “has the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches (or the entire FIFA World Cup 26) for any reason at its sole discretion, including as a result of force majeure or due to health, safety or security concerns.”Any move to reschedule a tournament game must be signed off by the governing body’s senior leadership team, which includes president Gianni Infantino.England travelled to Mexico City on Friday, a day earlier than they had for previous games at the tournament, to aid preparations.Some English FA staff only found out about the suggestion of a new kick-off time through the media reports that emerged earlier in the day and the team did not have total clarity on when the game would be played when they boarded their flight from Kansas City.The team’s hotel in Mexico is expected to have roadblocks around its perimeter to guard against pre-game disruption after Ecuador’s time in the capital city was interrupted by fans setting off fireworks, chanting and revving vehicle engines outside their hotel throughout the evening.The Football Supporters’ Association, who have had input from the FA, have advised England supporters to avoid Ave de La Reforma, especially near the city’s The Angel of Independence statue. The area is often a large gathering point for Mexico fans before, during and after the national team’s games.Jul 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms