England have advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup having gone unbeaten against Croatia, Ghana, Panama and DR Congo.
The Three Lions’ route to the Last 16 hasn’t been without incident, going a goal down to DR Congo in the previous round before being rescued by a Harry Kane brace.
A number of England‘s key defensive players have also been in the treatment room during the tournament with Reece James currently out with a hamstring injury, and fellow right-back Tino Livramento missing the World Cup entirely.
Is Djed Spence injured for England?
Back-up option Jarell Quansah missed the Round of 32 fixture against DR Congo with an ankle problem and now it appears England’s next best alternative will be absent for the game with Mexico this evening.
Djed Spence has reportedly picked up an injury in training that will keep him out of the fixture at Estadio Azteca. The Tottenham Hotspur full-back trained with the squad yesterday which is when the injury is understood to have been sustained.
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It leaves Tuchel with the unenviable task of deploying star midfielder Declan Rice at right-back, shuffling Ezri Konsa over to the right-hand side or recalling Quansah, who has returned to training in recent days.
The Three Lions’ boss opted against calling up Real Madrid full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for the tournament but has now faced repeated fitness and availability issues in the specific area of the pitch in which the ex-Liverpool defender operates.
England did use Rice at right-back for the latter stages of their 2-1 win against DR Congo and looked more secure defensively, however, this would remove him from his usual berth in the heart of midfield.
Tuchel’s men must also contend with the high altitude of the Azteca Stadium, an arena which sits approximately 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level.
For comparison, Ben Nevis – the highest point in the United Kingdom – is 1,345 metres (4,413 feet) above sea level.
England have played at the Azteca before, famously in 1986 when Diego Maradona scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal to eliminate the Three Lions from the World Cup that year.
Earlier in that particular tournament, England had defeated Paraguay 3-0. The Three Lions’ record at the Azteca is three defeats, two victories and a draw – the latter coming against this evening’s opponents Mexico, in a 1969 friendly match.