Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds, Harry Kane converted a penalty to move into the top five of all-time World Cup scorers, and England survived over 40 minutes with 10 men to beat Mexico 3-2 in one of the great World Cup matches at the Estadio Azteca.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are through to the quarter-finals for the third consecutive World Cup, where they will face Erling Haaland’s Norway in Miami on Saturday. Mexico’s curse at this stage of the tournament continues, they have now exited in the Round of 16 eight times since last reaching the quarter-finals as hosts in 1986.

Match Details

Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 — Round of 16

Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Kick-off: 01:00 BST (delayed from 00:00 BST due to lightning at the Azteca)

Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico

Attendance: 87,000+

Final score: Mexico 2-3 England

The Goals

36′ BELLINGHAM 0-1: After an intense but mostly cagey opening half hour, the game sparked into action in the 36th minute when England hit the hosts on the counter. Bukayo Saka looped a cross to the back post where Bellingham was on hand to head home and bring the decibel level down a notch.

38′ BELLINGHAM 0-2: The home fans would be quietened further just 98 seconds later. Bellingham laid the ball wide to Harry Kane and then got beyond Cesar Montes to convert Kane’s ball back across goal and put England in dreamland. Two goals in 98 seconds. The Azteca, the most famous stadium in Mexican football history, fell almost completely silent.

42′ QUINONES 1-2: Julian Quinones pulled one back for the co-hosts before halftime with a well-taken volley, giving Mexico life heading into the break and reigniting the atmosphere.

54′ QUANSAH RED CARD: England right back Jarell Quansah was assessed a red card for a high challenge on Jesus Gallardo following a video review. The referee initially deemed it a fair challenge but upon VAR review, Quansah was shown a straight red card, the Bayer Leverkusen man going over the top of the ball onto the Mexican’s shin. England reduced to ten men with over 35 minutes remaining.

60′ KANE PENALTY 1-3: Anthony Gordon got on the end of Kane’s knock-down and was brought down by goalkeeper Raul Rangel in the penalty box. Kane stepped up and thumped the spot-kick into the back of the net. It was Kane’s sixth goal of this tournament and 14th of his World Cup career, matching Gerd Muller of West Germany for fifth on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.

70′ JIMENEZ PENALTY 2-3: Kane was adjudged to have kicked through Brian Gutierrez’s leg in the box. Raul Jimenez stepped up and slotted the penalty home to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes remaining, prompting a Mexican onslaught.

England Dig Deeper Than They Ever Have

Mexico attacked relentlessly over the final 21 minutes, plus 11 minutes of stoppage time, but failed to find a way past 10 men as goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and England’s defenders held steady. Dan Burn and Djed Spence were sent on to strengthen the defence and threw themselves into every challenge in the closing stages.

Mexico lay siege to the England goal, peppering the box with crosses, but Tuchel’s team stood tall, with last-ditch defending at the death completing a win that will live long in the memory.

Jordan Pickford, Djed Spence and Dan Burn took turns throwing their bodies on the line to block Mexican attack after Mexican attack.

Bellingham himself made a goal-saving clearance with virtually the last meaningful action of the match, denying Cesar Montes from close range after a knockdown from a late Mexico corner. Jude Bellingham was crucial at both ends of the pitch.

The Records and the History

England are the first team in World Cup history to beat Mexico at the Azteca. El Tri were unbeaten in the previous 10 competitive matches played there. England have qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals for the third consecutive tournament, equalling their best ever streak.

Jude Bellingham is the first player since Diego Maradona to score two goals in a World Cup game at the Azteca. This is the first time in the 21st century that Mexico have conceded three goals in a game at the Azteca.

The significance of Bellingham’s brace at the Azteca carries an additional layer of historical poetry. England became the first team to defeat Mexico in the World Cup at the famed Azteca, handing Mexico their first-ever loss at home in a World Cup game. It was at the Azteca in 1986 that Diego Maradona’s Hand of God knocked England out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, a moment that haunted the English football psyche for 40 years. Now Bellingham, himself often likened to Maradona in terms of generational talent and flair scored twice in the same stadium to send England into the last eight.

The Delay and the Drama Before Kickoff

The match was delayed by one hour at Estadio Azteca due to lightning, thunderstorms and adverse weather in Mexico City. FIFA prioritised safety, pushing kick-off back with the atmosphere inside the stadium building to extraordinary levels during the wait.

Both Lineups

England: Pickford; Quansah (sent off 54′), Konsa, Guéhi, O’Reilly (Spence 74′); Anderson (Burn 75′), Rice, Bellingham; Saka (Stones 57′), Gordon, Kane (Rogers 90′)

Mexico: Rangel; Sanchez, Montes, Reyes; Gallardo (booked), Alvarado, Romo, Mora (Gutierrez); Quinones, Jimenez, Lozano

Reaction

Bellingham said: “This is probably one of the biggest England wins in a while, probably the biggest one I can remember as a fan or player. The best night of my England career.”

Jordan Henderson was taken to hospital after the match because of a wrist injury. He was hurt when he tumbled over an advertising board during the post-game celebration, adding an unfortunate footnote to an otherwise euphoric evening for the Three Lions.

What’s Next

England face Norway in the quarter-finals at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Saturday, July 11. It is a meeting of two sides in spectacular form: England’s Round of 16 heroics at the Azteca against Norway’s stunning elimination of five-time champions Brazil earlier the same day. Erling Haaland, who scored twice against Brazil, versus Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. The story of this tournament gets bigger with every passing round.

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