The highly anticipated World Cup last-16 tie between England and Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday looks set to move kickoff time due to the threat of storms.
The game had been scheduled for 18:00 local time Sunday but the BBC is now reporting, following local reports out of Mexico, that the game will be played at midday local time. No official confirmation from FIFA just yet. Multiple national outlets are reporting that Fifa is in discussion with the England and Mexico camps about a potential time change.
This will have significant knock on effect for broadcasters, fans and even pubs across England, which had been granted license by the UK government to stay open throughout the night on Sunday, a move which has created unease with the police authorities.
The new kickoff time will be music to the ears of most England fans. Many had been fretting about the late kickoff but they can now tune in at 7pm local time when it should clock up huge ratings for the BBC. The latest England match vs Congo on Monday scored a year-high 16.3m peak audience.
In the U.S. the game is due to be shown on Fox, Fox One, and the Fox Sports app with Spanish language commentary on Telemundo and Peacock. The new U.S. time will be 11am PST.
France’s group-stage game against Iraq was delayed for over two hours because of safety concerns bad weather in Philadelphia. Fifa rules state it has the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”.
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