Mexico Meets England at Azteca in World Cup Round of 16 Showdown

MEXICO CITY (AP) — For four decades, Mexico has waited to reach the World Cup quarterfinals again. That opportunity comes on Sunday, when El Tri meets England in the Round of 16 at Estadio Azteca — a ground where the national side has built a near-unbeatable reputation on home soil.

Many view the fixture as the defining moment of modern Mexican football. Since the stadium opened in 1966, Mexico has lost only twice there in official matches, with the most recent setback coming more than a decade ago — a September 2013 defeat to Honduras.

"The stadium is a monster; that explains the high number of wins and draws, and the few losses — which were just accidents," said Hugo Sánchez, the striker who featured in the 1986 World Cup and now serves as an ESPN analyst. "We approach this with optimism because we know it's England, but if we play the way we did against Ecuador, we can beat them."

The statistics reinforce the legend. Across the 1970, 1986, and current World Cups held in Mexico, the team has contested 10 Azteca fixtures, recording eight victories and two draws. In this edition alone, El Tri has won three home matches without surrendering a goal: 2-0 over South Africa and 3-0 against the Czech Republic in the group phase, followed by a 2-0 Round of 32 win over Ecuador. Mexico also claimed a 1-0 group-stage victory against South Korea in Guadalajara.

Never before has Mexico opened a World Cup campaign with four straight wins.

"We have played three World Cups in Mexico; it is hard for me to say if it is (the biggest match). In 1970 we played Italy for the semifinals, in '86 we played Germany also for the semifinals," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said Saturday. "There have been several important matches in history and tomorrow is certainly one of them."

The run has revived expectations across the country, including among fans too young to remember the last quarterfinal appearance in 1986. Since that breakthrough, Mexican World Cup campaigns have carried heavy psychological weight: the team missed the 1990 tournament, then suffered seven straight Round of 16 departures before crashing out in the group stage at Qatar four years ago.

"I'm one of those who couldn't make it through; it happened to me in South Africa and Korea," said Aguirre, who led El Tri during those tournaments. "It's deeply painful because you play a great group stage, only to be knocked out for a variety of reasons."

Mexico's exits read like a chronicle of near misses — a 1994 penalty shootout defeat to Bulgaria when Aguirre served as assistant to Miguel Mejía Barón, plus 1998 and 2014 losses to Germany and the Netherlands after late leads slipped away in the closing minutes.

England arrives after a 2-1 knockout-round win over Congo, with Harry Kane netting both goals for the star-studded squad. The Three Lions reached the quarterfinals at the previous World Cup before losing to eventual runner-up France.

A win would carry England into the last eight for the sixth time in its history — and for a third straight tournament — as the nation continues pursuing a first title since 1966.

On talent alone, England appears to hold the edge, anchored by Premier League stars, while Mexico's main attacking threat is Julián Quiñones, the leading scorer in the Saudi League.