England manager Thomas Tuchel has warned that Mexico's high altitude gives the co-hosts a massive advantage ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 match this weekend.
England advanced to the knockout stage after topping Group L, with wins over Croatia and Panama and a draw against Ghana.
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The team narrowly avoided an early exit after falling behind to DR Congo's Brian Cipenga.
A strong performance by goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi threatened England until captain Harry Kane scored twice to secure a 2-1 comeback victory.
Altitude Challenge
The upcoming match in Mexico City presents significant environmental challenges, as the venue sits more than 2,000 meters above sea level.
Tuchel dismissed concerns about weather conditions but emphasized the physical limitations of adjusting to the elevation within a three-day window.
"I think the heat and the humidity will not be the problem for us," said Tuchel.
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He noted that his players are accustomed to warm conditions following their preparation camp and training in Florida.
"My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have.
It just takes too much time," Tuchel said.
"We have only three days in between this match. This is physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high," he added.
Tuchel acknowledged that the coaching staff and squad were fully aware of the scheduling and environmental constraints before the tournament.
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"We knew that before, so this is just something, it's just a disadvantage, with which we will have to deal, and I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for that, and from there we go," he concluded.
