Former Thierry Henry has warned England that their clash against Mexico could mark the end of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Henry cautioned that the Three Lions may not be able to stage another comeback if they fall behind against Mexico in the Round of 16.
England suffered an early scare in their Round of 32 encounter against Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, with Brian Cipenga scoring in the seventh minute.
Thomas Tuchel’s side eventually secured a late 2 to 1 victory, thanks to a brace from Harry Kane, setting up a Round of 16 showdown with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
Mexico have won all four of their World Cup matches so far against South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic, and Ecuador, while maintaining a perfect defensive record without conceding a goal.
The co hosts also hold a significant advantage, with the Azteca Stadium sitting approximately 7,200 feet above sea level, leaving England with limited time to adapt to the altitude.
Henry, a member of France’s 1998 World Cup winning squad, believes England could struggle badly if they concede first against the hosts.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Henry said, “You don’t want to go there too soon right but you have to address the situation.
“If they start the same way they started today at the Azteca, dealing with the altitude, we don’t know how the weather is going to be, it’s one thing to play in a dome and to play outside.
“And so the Mexico we saw yesterday and how they played [against Ecuador], I don’t know if you’re going to come back against a team that still hasn’t conceded a goal.
“We all know this guy, Sir Harry [Kane], can be in a situation where he can open up any team at any moment, but you can’t start like that and you’re not always going to have that cooling break that can give you a little chance, because Ecuador after that cooling break were in trouble.
“I mean Harry Kane… every time it’s him saving them.”
