England just did something at Estadio Azteca that no English squad had managed in a competitive match before: win. The Three Lions beat Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 5, sending the co-hosts packing from their own tournament in one of football’s most storied cathedrals.
The match and the money
Harry Kane converted a penalty and Jude Bellingham scored twice to secure England’s passage to the quarterfinals. Mexico, playing at the venue that hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, couldn’t hold on despite the altitude advantage of over 2,200 meters and a crowd that desperately wanted a different outcome.
For English football, the Azteca has always carried a complicated legacy. Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal happened there in 1986. Winning a competitive fixture at the ground rewrites at least a small chapter of that history.
Trading volumes for CHZ, the token powering the Chiliz fan token ecosystem, spiked during the knockout stage. Polymarket, the prediction market built on crypto rails, also saw increased betting activity around the England-Mexico result.
