England vs Mexico LIVE: Watch World Cup 2026 last 16 build-up, start time, lineups & weather updates
‘Bring it on’published at 00:47 BST 6 July
Mexico v England (02:00 BST, delayed)
I’ve heard a lot of talk about the difficult conditions England will face at the Azteca Stadium – but I don’t think the players will be worried about any of that.
Instead of having any fear about the different tests they face, they will just be thinking ‘bring it on’. I know I would be.
All the talk stops when they run out anyway, and if they play the game rather than the occasion then I think they will win.
Yes, it’s going to be tough, because of the altitude and the atmosphere and everything else. Co-hosts Mexico are at home and the crowd could be as much as 80% of their fans, which is very different to anything England have faced at this tournament so far.
But as a player, these are the kind of games and moments you train and work so hard for all your life because to be going to such an iconic stadium and playing in a World Cup in front of a TV audience of millions, with a place in the quarter-finals as the prize, is what you dream of as a boy.
Yes, it’s a challenge but I would say to them to embrace it and enjoy it – be positive and show us all what you can do.
