When will Mexico vs. England start? Updated kickoff time for World Cup knockout game amid weather delay

The most anticipated game of the 2026 World Cup to this point could be Sunday's battle between Mexico and England.

England entered the tournament with better odds of making a deep run, but the combination of stellar play by Mexico through four games and homefield advantage has the Mexican national team believing this is a prime opportunity to get to the quarterfinals after a slew of Round of 16 exits.

Soccer fans can hardly wait for the game to start, but they will have to wait a little while longer due to a weather delay in Mexico City.

Here's a look at the updated kickoff time for Sunday's battle between Mexico and England.

MORE: Latest weather updates for Mexico vs. Brazil

How long will Mexico vs. England be delayed?

Kickoff between Mexico and England has been delayed one hour from the previously scheduled 8 p.m. ET start time.

Mexico vs England is in a weather delay, with the expected kickoff time being pushed back to 9PM ET. pic.twitter.com/QEkAC8YN05

Thunderstorms have peppered the area around Estadio Azteca throughout the day, which made a weather delay a distinct possibility. It isn't clear whether the delay could last longer than an hour, but storms can be difficult to predict.

As of 7 p.m. ET, players from both teams were being held inside and could not go out onto the field to warm up.

Earlier in the week, FIFA officials debated whether to rearrange Sunday's schedule to move the start time up to the afternoon to get ahead of potential storms. The organization ultimately decided against it, and Mexico manager Javier Aguirre told reporters he pushed back on the idea.

"They told me about the schedule change and I said I didn't agree," Aguirre said. "That's all I did."

Nevertheless, the forecasted storms came to fruition and delayed the game.

Mexico vs. England new kickoff time

As of the last update, Mexico and England are scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET, which is 7 p.m. local time and 2 a.m. in the United Kingdom. 

There is no guarantee the game starts precisely at 9 p.m. ET. Mexico's last game, a 2-0 win over Ecuador, was also delayed due to weather but started at the rescheduled time. Soccer fans are certainly hoping that's the case again, or the game could go deep into the night.