England Face Mexico City Altitude Hurdle as Fifa 1-Day Rule Blocks Best World Cup Plan
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 2
England Face Mexico City Altitude Hurdle as Fifa 1-Day Rule Blocks Best World Cup Plan
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 2
Summary
Thomas Tuchel said England will be at a “huge” disadvantage against Mexico on Sunday because they cannot follow the FA’s preferred altitude strategy for Mexico City.
FA research found that without 10 days to acclimatize, the best option was to arrive on match day as close to kick-off as possible rather than spend extra time at altitude.
Fifa rules from the last 16 onward require teams to train at venue-specific sites near the stadium the day before matches, forcing England to leave their Kansas City base on Friday afternoon.
England returned to Kansas City on Wednesday after a 2-1 last-32 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, leaving limited time to adjust before the knockout tie.