'Huge' disadvantage Tuchel unhappy as Fifa rule spoils England's altitude plan

Thomas Tuchel says England will be at a “huge” disadvantage in the high altitude of Mexico City on Sunday when they face Mexico in the last 16 of the World Cup as he lamented a Fifa rule that has shut down one possible acclimatisation plan.

- David Hytner

The Football Association has looked into how the altitude will affect the England players and spoken to teams from other sports as part of its research. They included the British Olympic team. One of the findings is that if it is not possible to travel to the venue 10 days beforehand to get used to the conditions, then it would be preferable to go on the day of the game - arriving as close to kick-off as possible.

But Fifa has decreed that from the last 16 onwards, teams must train in “venue-specific sites” close to the stadiums the day before matches. It has meant that England will have to fly to Mexico City from their base in Kansas City this afternoon. They returned to Kansas City on Wednesday from Atlanta after their 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the last 32.