THOMAS Tuchel’s England are flying high after Harry Kane’s heroics against DR Congo – but their next World Cup stop could be a nightmare in the clouds.
The Three Lions are heading into to face co-hosts Mexico.
Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca is the country’s biggest stadium, and the venue for many sporting and cultural events Credit: Getty
England will have been preparing for the altitude in some form since the World Cup draw revealed they may have to visit the Azteca as part of their tournament run Credit: Getty
And it’s not just the 80,000 fanatical fans they have to worry about. It’s the terrifying, .
How high is Mexico’s Azteca stadium?
The iconic Estadio Azteca sits at 2,240 metres (7,220 feet) above sea level.
To put that into perspective, the highest stadium in English professional is West Brom’s The Hawthorns, which sits at just 168m.
London’s Shard stands at 310m, meaning you would have to stack more than seven Shards on top of each other to reach the height of the Azteca pitch.
It’s also higher than two Burj Khalifas (the world’s tallest skyscraper at 828m) stacked on top of each other.
Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK, tops out at 1,345m – the Azteca sits nearly a kilometre higher than the Scottish giant.
Of course, it’s the land itself that towers above the clouds, with the stadium situated within the urban sprawl of City.
Why does the height affect athletes’ performance?
At more than 7,000 feet up, the air becomes much thinner than what we’re used to close to sea level.
Every time or takes a gasp of air, their bodies will take in nearly a quarter less oxygen than normal.
The atmospheric pressure also drops, and so the force that pushes oxygen from the lungs and into the bloodstream weakens.
This means the heart has to pump faster and harder to keep the muscles moving, drastically lowering an athlete’s VO2 max – their maximum oxygen capacity.
Muscles will scream, lactic acid will , and fatigue will hit the players .
The team could also face headaches, dizzy spells, and sudden waves of nausea, and as the brain is starved of oxygen, it can even mess with decision-making.
To make matters worse, the thin air means the ball flies faster and further, turning standard crosses into unpredictable rockets.
The Azteca is around 1,114 Dan Burns above sea level
Experts say true acclimatisation takes at least two to three weeks of intense training.
will have had just five days since their last match in Atlanta (average elevation; 320 metres), though they’ll have been preparing in some form since December’s draw showed a path to Mexico City.
Tuchel has admitted: “The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it – in four days it’s just impossible.”
On the other hand, a huge chunk of the Mexican squad ply their trade for high-altitude domestic giants like Guadalajara.
Mexico’s training base is also located within Mexico City, meaning even internationally-based players have spent weeks acclimating to the thin air.
What is the Mexico’s record there?
Mexico’s is not one to be sniffed at.
Across 89 competitive internationals at the stadium, El Tri have won 70, drawn 17, and lost just twice since it opened in 1966.
Their last competitive defeat at the stadium came in 13 years ago in 2013 against Honduras.
Even worse for England, Mexico have in 10 attempts.
They haven’t conceded a single goal yet this tournament, and have played three of their four games so far at the Azteca.
They cruised through the group stages and brushed Ecuador aside 2-0 to reach the Round of 16.
The Azteca is already cursed ground for the Three Lions, being the stadium where executed his infamous “Hand of God” in 1986.
But don’t write off Tuchel’s men just yet. Kane is in red-hot form, scoring 72 goals for club and country this season.
England showed real grit to come from behind in the last round, and the manager will be praying for another hero moment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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