Tuchel Calm Ahead of Mexico Climb: England Faces Altitude, Hostile Crowd

FIFA World Cup 2026: "It is just what it is," says England coach Tuchel on altitude challenge ahead of Mexico clash

Mexico City, July 5

Speaking ahead of the knockout fixture, Tuchel said speculation over logistical issues and other distractions had not affected the England camp.

"Like so often, it is so much noise. When you are inside of the bubble, it is actually quite calm, quite focused. And the bigger the stages, the bigger the noises, the calmer the preparation. I think the players were not even aware of a possible change of kickoffs and just this example shows you to not lose your heads," Tuchel said, as quoted by ESPN.

England arrived in Mexico City after uncertainty over the kickoff time was resolved. FIFA had considered moving the match six hours earlier because of concerns over fan safety and forecasts of severe thunderstorms, but ultimately decided to retain the original schedule.

To help players adapt to the high altitude of Mexico City, which sits around 2,240 metres above sea level, the Football Association brought the squad to the Mexican capital a day earlier than its usual travel plan. England trained on Saturday as part of its preparations to acclimatise to the conditions.

The England coach said there was little value in worrying about circumstances beyond the team's control.

"We cannot influence it. Three-and-a-half hours later, you land in Mexico and the kickoff time stayed the same. It is just not worth losing our heads. Altitude: it is what it is. Home crowd: it is what it is. It is not in our favour," he added, as quoted by ESPN.

Tuchel expressed confidence that England possessed the unity and determination needed to overcome the challenges of playing away from home in a hostile atmosphere.

"We need to overcome obstacles but we have the spirit, we have the commitment, the pure will and the glue between the team to overcome these things. That's why I am positive. We know what's coming. The players will feel it, we will all feel it tomorrow when the energy is on. But that's also the beauty of it. We focus completely on what is possible to be influenced by us," he said.

Tuchel also said his players have already begun feeling the effects of Mexico City's high altitude but expressed confidence they would adapt ahead of Sunday's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against co-hosts Mexico, according to ESPN.

"You know what, we feel it," he said, according to ESPN. "We feel it even if we don't train. I felt, for example, a slight headache in the hotel room throughout the day. Didn't sleep as well as the days before but nothing that you cannot handle and cannot adapt [to]."

The England manager said players also noticed the conditions during training but gradually adjusted as the session progressed.

"I think the players felt it in the first minutes of the training session and the longer it went, they could cope with it better. It is just what it is. We cannot physically adapt."

"It is just impossible but we are here one day before to experience it at least, to not have all the first time experience tomorrow in [the] warm-up. We will have tomorrow's warm-up, especially with the flight of the ball, with a bit of shortness of breath."

Tuchel believes Mexico will look to take advantage of the conditions by starting aggressively in front of their home supporters.

"I think it is not a coincidence that Mexico starts their matches normally at home very strong, very front-footed, very aggressively because I think the first 15-20 minutes will be maybe the toughest for us. Once we overcome that and we experienced it a little bit already today, I think we are in a good place," he said, according to ESPN.

The England coach also said he was unconcerned about reports of possible disruption around the team's hotel, adding that FIFA's security arrangements had been effective.

"We had no issues last night," said Tuchel. "I think FIFA took care of the situation, and we have security around the hotel, so we expect a good night of sleep. We have a 6 p.m. kickoff, so if we miss some hours of sleep, we will have time to get some other hours in the late morning."

He said there was no reason to speculate about problems that had not materialised.

"I don't want to talk about problems that don't exist yet, it just feels not right. What I have experienced until now was very respectful and was very emotional, but also very supportive towards our team."

"So we are very respectful to everyone. We respect the opponent, we respect the occasion of the match. We expect to also be treated with respect, and that was the case, so to talk now about potential problems just does not make sense to me. If they come, we will accept them."

"That's the whole approach for the whole tournament. It's a demanding tournament in itself, and the best way to approach it is to be relaxed and calm and focus on us."

England will face co-hosts Mexico in the Round of 16, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

— ANI