Key Points
- England beat Mexico 3-2 at Estadio Azteca on July 5 in the World Cup Round of 16.
- Jude Bellingham scored in the 36th and 38th minutes; Harry Kane added a 60th-minute penalty.
- Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute, leaving England to hold on with 10 men.
- England are the first team ever to win a World Cup match against Mexico at the Azteca.
England beat Mexico 3-2 at Estadio Azteca on Sunday to reach the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, surviving the final 36 minutes a man down in front of roughly 87,000 fans in Mexico City. The win sets up a last-eight meeting with Erling Haaland's Norway, who stunned Brazil 2-1 the same day, in Miami on Saturday.
Jude Bellingham decided it inside two first-half minutes. He headed home a Bukayo Saka cross in the 36th minute, then doubled the lead 98 seconds later off a Harry Kane assist — becoming the first player since Diego Maradona to score twice in a World Cup game at the Azteca. Julián Quiñones pulled one back for the co-hosts in the 42nd minute, and the match tilted again after the break: Kane restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot in the 60th minute after Anthony Gordon was fouled by Raúl Rangel.
The drama was only starting. Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card in the 54th minute following a VAR review for going over the top of the ball onto Jesús Gallardo's shin. Raúl Jiménez converted a 69th-minute penalty to make it 3-2, and Mexico laid siege for the final half hour, but Jordan Pickford came up with a decisive save and Bellingham cleared a stoppage-time effort off the line to preserve the win. It was a bitter exit for Mexico, who had beaten Ecuador 2-0 for their first World Cup knockout win in 40 years to reach this stage.
The result carries more weight than a single scoreline. Mexico had been unbeaten in their previous 10 World Cup matches at the Azteca, a stadium that has functioned as a genuine home-field fortress since 1970; England became the first side ever to beat Mexico in a World Cup match there — and did it with 10 men, against the crowd, on a night when the co-hosts had every incentive and advantage. For a Three Lions side that has spent a decade collecting near-misses, grinding out a road win at the sport's most intimidating venue is the kind of result that travels. Whether it holds up against Haaland is the next question, and the ticket market had already priced this Round-of-16 tie as one of the tournament's marquee draws.
Source: ESPN, NBC Sports.
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