England’s national football team emerged victorious over the FIFA World Cup 2026 co-hosts, Mexico, in a thrilling Round of 16 encounter at the Estadio Azteca. The match commenced at 7pm local time in Mexico City on Sunday, July 5, 2026, but fans in England had to stay up until 2am on Monday, July 6, to witness the game unfold. Following a one-hour delay due to lightning storms, England’s rising star, Jude Bellingham, stunned the home crowd by scoring two goals within 98 seconds in the first half (36′ and 38′).
Mexico’s Julián Quiñones narrowed the gap just before halftime (42′), while England’s Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute after a VAR review for a dangerous tackle. Despite being down to 10 men, Harry Kane converted a penalty in the 60th minute to increase England’s lead to 3-1. However, Kane later conceded a penalty, converted by Raúl Jiménez in the 69th minute, setting the stage for a tense finale.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made crucial saves, and England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, made defensive substitutions with John Stones and Dan Burn to endure 11 nail-biting minutes of stoppage time and secure the win.
This victory marked the first time in World Cup history that a team had triumphed over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. Furthermore, Bellingham became the first player since Diego Maradona in 1986 to score a brace in a single World Cup match at the venue.
In addition to celebrating at home, numerous players’ partners, known as WAGs, expressed their joy online after the victory. Harry Kane’s wife, Katie Kane, shared her enthusiasm on Instagram before the game, showcasing her outfit, a unique white halter-neck football shirt with “Kane” in red down the side, paired with a stylish blue jacket and trousers.
Accompanied by flawless makeup and a sleek bun hairstyle, Katie captioned her post with “Game ready, let’s go England.” The post garnered over 59,000 likes with fans praising her appearance and cheering on the team.
Supporters can watch England’s upcoming World Cup quarter-final match against Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, US, starting at 10pm BST (5:00pm local time). The game will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX for viewers in the UK.