Mexico ends World Cup run against England in Round of 16

El Tricolor finished with a 4-0-1 record and four clean sheets.

MEXICO CITY – The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued as Mexico lost 3-2 to England in the Round of 16 at Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico.

The scoring opened in the 36’ when Bukayo Saka chipped in a cross into the box and Jude Bellingham finished it off with a diving head at the back post.

Just moments later, England forced a turnover that resulted in a quick counter and Harry Kane connected with Bellingham for his brace in the 38’.

The hosts fought back and found the back of the net in the 42’ when England defender Ezri Konsa struggled to clear a free kick and Julián Quiñones showed no hesitation to rip Mexico’s opening strike. Quiñones tied Luis Hernandez and Javier Hernandez for most all-time goals for Mexico at the World Cup with four.

The drama ramped up even more in the 54’ as Jarell Quansahs was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle after a VAR review.

Not long after going down a man, England was awarded a penalty kick due to Raúl Rangel taking down Anthony Gordon in the area. Harry Kane stepped up and buried it from the spot in the 60’ for his sixth goal of the tournament.

Mexico had its own chance from the spot in the 69’ and Raúl Jiménez converted it to bring Mexico within one goal. Ultimately, England held on to the result for the victory.

El Tricolor finished its impressive tournament with a 4-0-1 record and four clean sheets.

Mexico vs England – Post-Match Facts

• Mexico became the first Concacaf side to score two or more goals against England in a FIFA World Cup match, having managed only two goals in their previous eight meetings combined.
• Mexico have scored two or more goals in three consecutive FIFA World Cup matches for only the second time in their history, previously achieving this run in 1998 when they netted against Korea Republic (3-2), Belgium (2-2), and the Netherlands (2-2).
• Julián Quiñones has equalled Javier Hernández and Luis Hernández as Mexico's joint-top scorer in FIFA World Cup history with four goals. This was his fifth direct goal involvement (4G+1A) in the competition, drawing him level with Javier Hernández, Rafael Márquez, and Cuauhtémoc Blanco for the most by a Mexico player.
• Erik Lira completed 97% of his passes against England (69 of 71), the highest passing accuracy by a Mexico player in a FIFA World Cup match since at least 1966 among those who attempted 60 or more passes.
• Jesús Gallardo has reached 12 appearances for Mexico at the FIFA World Cup; only Rafa Márquez (19) and Andrés Guardado (13) have played more matches for the national team in the competition.
• Julián Quiñones has reached four goals at the Estadio Azteca in the current FIFA World Cup, equalling the record for the most goals scored by a player at this venue in the competition, level with Diego Maradona (Argentina) and Anatoliy Byshovets (USSR).
• Raúl Jiménez attempted eight shots against England, two more than the entire England team combined. He finishes the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 18 attempts, the most by a Mexico player in a single edition of the tournament since at least 1966.
• Álvaro Fidalgo created three chances after coming on in the 78th minute against England, becoming only the second Mexico player to create three or more chances in a FIFA World Cup match after entering as a substitute in the 75th minute or later since 1966, following Jesús Corona against Sweden in 2018.