As England prepare to face Mexico in the last-16 of the 2026 World Cup, much of the build-up has been dictated by the altitude and wind the Three Lions will encounter.
However, anyone who has studied the game will surely recognize the same statistics regarding Mexico’s terrible record in the home stadium, popularly known as the Azteca.
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A return of 70 wins, 17 draws and just two defeats in 89 competitive games since the stadium opened in 1966 makes for worrying reading for England fans, but how impressive is that record, and does it hold up?
England play at the Azteca Stadium for the first time since 1986 (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)
This is El Tri’s place The record at the Mexico City Stadium certainly looks formidable, with wins over the likes of Brazil, Belgium and the USA in its storied history.
Those numbers are impressive regardless of the opponents, as England have lost three times at Wembley in the last six years alone (against Denmark and Greece at the Nations and Italy in the delayed Euro 2020 final).
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Furthermore, Mexico have never lost to the Azteca in a World Cup, with the 2026 hosts winning nine games and drawing two in their 1970, 1986 and 2026 campaigns. Before this year, they won against Belgium, Iraq, Bulgaria and El Salvador, and they played in different places on both occasions when they were eliminated.
In this summer’s tournament, El Tri they defeated South Africa, the Czech Republic and Ecuador in their place, and the last win was their first victory in the World Cup since 1986.
Mexico exited the World Cup in the round of 16 in seven consecutive tournaments between 1994 and 2018 (Getty)
Regarding their other competitive games, including World Cup qualifiers, the complete list of winners includes Jamaica (eight times), USA (seven times), Canada (six times), Panama (six times), Costa Rica (five times), Trinidad & Tobago (three times) and Bermuda (twice), as well as Guyana, Guatemala, Haiti, Martinique and others.
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Mexico’s most recent defeat at the Azteca was in 2013, when they lost 2-1 to Honduras in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.
El Tri they have played 26 times at home since then, beating teams including New Zealand, Israel and Scotland when they played Portugal. However, on their winning streak, Panama and Honduras have featured four times each, while Costa Rica and El Salvador have played twice each.
Mexico last lost to the Azteca in a competitive match in September 2013 (Getty)
Of course, these stats don’t say much about the latest generation, so how did the current crop of players do at home?
Since the end of the World Cup in December 2022, Mexico has played only six matches (including friendly matches) in Azteca, three of which are coming in this World Cup. Others won against Honduras and drew with Portugal and Jamaica.
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So, while Azteca’s record is impressive on paper, in the 26 games since that loss in 2013, the wins have come against sides currently ranked no higher than 30th, that team being Canada.
Of course, This is El Tri’s place Recent performances in the Concacaf competitions are telling, with their campaigns to win the Gold Cup and the Nations League in 2025 placing them as the best team in North America. You would think that Thomas Tuchel and co. they will have done their homework there.
Victory in the Gold Cup and the United Nations marked Mexico as the best team in North America (Getty)
Apart from Portugal, England will be the best team to visit the Azteca in a competitive game since Brazil in the 2003 Gold Cup, so while altitude and atmosphere must be taken into account, home record is a matter of statistics which do not tell the whole story.
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As for England’s record at the Azteca, the Three Lions have played there twice. Both games came at the 1986 World Cup, with the Three Lions beating Paraguay 3-0 before defeating Argentina in the quarter-finals. Tuchel suggested that karma could play a role as England get a chance to exorcise the demons of that famous loss to Diego Maradona’s side.
Yes, it is true that England will need to withdraw from the World Cup first by being the first team to be beaten El Tri Azteca in the World Cup. But there is a beginning time for everything, right?
