UK PM Starmer admits intervening to keep Mexico vs. England World Cup match on schedule

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has revealed he intervened to stop FIFA from altering the start time of the England vs. Mexico match in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16. The possibility of an earlier kickoff was considered due to adverse weather conditions in Mexico City.

Starmer stated that he and the English Football Association (FA) "had to fight" to keep the match at its originally scheduled time. He explained that an earlier start would have given English players less time to acclimatize to the high altitude of the Estadio Azteca, which stands at 2,240 meters above sea level. At such altitudes, the body loses more oxygen, and the ball travels faster, potentially offering a tactical advantage to the home team.

England ultimately defeated Mexico 3-2 in a hard-fought contest, securing their place in the quarterfinals. However, due to poor weather, the match was delayed by an hour and began at 7:00 PM local time on Sunday, instead of the initially planned 6:00 PM.

Starmer's admission comes shortly after Donald Trump confirmed he had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card shown to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun. Balogun's suspension was controversially revoked by FIFA's disciplinary committee, a decision that intensified scrutiny following Trump's reported intervention.

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We had to fight together with the FA for the match to be played again at the initially scheduled time.