England ends Mexico’s World Cup run in 3-2 Azteca thriller

England ended Mexico’s World Cup run with a 3-2 victory at Estadio Azteca, delivering the home crowd its first World Cup loss at the stadium and sending the Three Lions into the quarterfinals against Norway. The result landed hard in Mexico City, where 80,824 fans waited through a thunderstorm delay of about an hour for a match that could have pushed Mexico deeper than the round of 16 for the first time in four decades.

Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds in the first half, giving England the early edge in a game that changed shape again after halftime when Jarell Quansah was sent off with a straight red card in the 54th minute. Harry Kane later converted a penalty in the 60th minute, and England held on with 10 men through Mexico’s late surge.

Mexico answered through Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, keeping alive a result that felt within reach even as the altitude, the atmosphere and the numbers in the stands all seemed to favor the hosts. Mexico used the Azteca setting as a point of pride before kickoff, but England absorbed the pressure after the dismissal and still found enough control to protect the lead.

Since reaching the quarterfinals as host in 1986, Mexico has now exited at the round-of-16 stage eight times, and 1986 remains the only other World Cup run beyond that round by Mexico as a host. Sunday’s loss also ended Mexico’s unbeaten World Cup record at Estadio Azteca.

England reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the third straight time. Thomas Tuchel praised the team’s resilience after the red card, while Kane said England had to find something deep within to survive Mexico’s late push.

The quarterfinal will take England to Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, July 11, 2026.