As soon as England defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the FIFA men’s football World Cup on Thursday, conversations started about the location of their next game.
As a co-host of the tournament, England’s next opponent Mexico are on their home turf. The turf in question is at a much higher altitude than England’s home stadium, or any of the venues they’ve played so far this World Cup.
Mexico have historically used this to their advantage: across 89 competitive matches at Estadio Azteca, they’ve lost twice.
Let’s unpack why.
Altitude
One of the reasons for Mexico’s domination at home is altitude.
Wembley Stadium, England’s home stadium, is around 50 metres above sea level. Azteca Stadium, Mexico’s home base, is more than 2,200 metres above sea level.
Altitude is a big deal because it changes the way athletes play – so much so that FIFA has issued bans on international matches being played above 2,500 metres in the past.
At high altitude, the air is thinner, which basically means there’s less oxygen in the air.
Athletes don’t just need oxygen for breathing. When they exert themselves, their muscles rely on oxygen to keep them going.
With less oxygen available, fatigue can set in much quicker than it would if you were playing closer to sea level.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Some endurance athletes deliberately train at high altitude. The body adapts by producing more red blood cells, which then carry oxygen more efficiently when the athletes return closer to sea level.
England v Mexico
So far this tournament, Mexico have played three of four matches at Estadio Azteca. They’re yet to lose or draw, and have kept all their opponents scoreless.
England beat Croatia 4-2, drew with Ghana, beat Panama 2-0, and beat DR Congo 2-1. They head to Mexico City on Friday (local time).
England coach Thomas Tuchel said: “The altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days.”
Maradona
There’s one other piece of history involving England and Estadio Azteca.
It’s the location of the most famous goal in World Cup history – the “Hand of God”.
In the 1986 quarter-finals, Argentine legend Diego Maradona touched the ball with his hand, tipping it into the goal to score the winner over England. Touching the ball with your hand is, of course, against the rules.
The ref ruled in Maradona’s favour. Argentina went on to win the Cup. England have not won the Cup since 1966.
