While the Mexican team will also experience exhaustion, their extensive altitude training shields them from the severe fatigue hitting the unacclimatized English squad.
Consequently, England players will struggle to recover between intense sprints, reducing their speed in reaching the ball.
Performance Data and Medical Risks
Data from unacclimatized athletes indicates major performance drops.
Dr. Rebecca Neal from Bournemouth University highlighted that teams can expect a 3% to 9% reduction in total running distance, alongside a 21% decrease in high-velocity running, which heavily impacts midfielders.
"On top of this, they will alter their pacing and experience greater neuromuscular fatigue meaning, even if their technical skills are not impaired, they might need to use unfamiliar tactics," Neal said.
Rapid ascent without proper acclimatization also introduces medical risks.
Maxwell stated that sudden exposure can trigger altitude illness, causing headaches, dizziness, and disrupted sleep, though more severe forms usually emerge above 2,500 meters.
The scheduling offers limited preparation time for the squad.
The England team plans to arrive in Mexico just two days before the match, a timeline experts view as less than ideal.
"A useful altitude training protocol would involve repeated sprints in hypoxia for up to four weeks in the run-up to and maintained throughout the World Cup and could have been advantageous for this match," Neal said.
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Arriving a single day prior provides no defensive benefit against the conditions. Maxwell dismissed the common belief that athletes receive a temporary window of immunity upon arrival.
