World-leading performance expert reveals how England can overcome altitude fears vs Mexico

News

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

England will face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium at 1am BST on Monday as they look to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals for the third consecutive tournament.

The Three Lions secured a narrow 2-1 victory over DR Congo in the round of 32 thanks to a late Harry Kane brace, and their reward is a last-16 clash against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City.

Javier Aguirre’s side have won all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup without conceding a single goal and they have a fearsome record at the Azteca, which suggests England have an uphill battle to secure qualification.

Mexico have only lost two of their 89 matches at the Azteca in history, winning 70, and the stadium sits at over 7,000 feet above sea level, with altitude expected to be a key issue for Thomas Tuchel’s men.

Speaking after the win over DR Congo, Tuchel admitted: “You play against Mexico in the Azteca, and there will be a lot, a lot, a lot of obstacles waiting for us.

“Not to mention the altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It's just impossible and more obstacles will maybe come.

“But we are ready for that, we need it maybe. We have the ideal platform now to genuinely believe that we are ready for that, and when the going gets tough, that we will find the answers.”

He later added: “We will go one night earlier. It makes sense. The ball will fly differently. It will fly maybe five yards more. It’s just difficult. We just need the experience.

“The recommendation is you either go ten days before - which is too long for us - or last minute, which is not allowed. We have spoken to teams who do it and they say they travel very, very late on match day if they can’t, have time to adapt (and) find a mixture in between. It will stay as a disadvantage.”

So, if England are to beat Mexico, they will need to execute a near-perfect plan to deal with the altitude.

How to limit effects of altitude

Steve Magness, a world-leading performance expert who has worked with multiple Olympians and athletes from every major professional sport, has confirmed that at 7,000 feet, total distance covered in football matches drops by between 3-9%, while high speed running decreases by between 10-15%.

Magness also revealed how England can adapt to the altitude in the Azteca Stadium in a detailed post on X.

“1 - Hydration and plasma volume,” he wrote. “Altitude drives respiratory water loss and diuresis, and plasma volume decreases acutely. Hydration strategies can blunt this. Folks have even tried manipulating high sodium intake to help shift plasma volume

“2 - Fuel with carbohydrates. We generally will burn more carbs at higher altitude. Make sure you are fuelled up and use fuelling strategies mid-game more like an elite endurance athlete. Something like maurten gels would work well.

“3 - Bicarb it up. Altitude is going to harm aerobic abilities. All those sprints and high speed running will build up more fatigue. The new sodium bicarbonate is a must here. I'd load up if I were England. Plus, altitude tends to lower blood bicarb. Also, it tends to help more for folks who aren't fully acclimated.

“4 - Protect sleep. Disrupted sleep is a major part of it. So do everything you can to help get a good night's sleep. Limits screen time, blue light blockers, all the stuff.

“5 - Tactics and pacing. You've got to adjust. Mexico will be adapted. You won't. Learning how to pace better and time your runs will be key. If you try to do the same thing as always, you will be screwed.

“6 - Beetroot juice. It can boost endurance performance. Works better on non-elite endurance athletes. Which would honestly be a lot of these soccer guys. And altitude can impair the natural turning of nitrite into nitric oxide, so theoretically beet root juice would help even more at altitude.

“7 - Caffeine. Not altitude specific, but boosts endurance performance. A well timed dose to peak in the 2nd half would be helpful.

“8 - Heat adaptation. Where England may have benefited from playing in the US is that heat adaptation (and its boost in plasma volume) can help with altitude. So even if they aren't altitude adapted, the heat wave in the US may have helped them.”

England to deploy roadblocks in attempt to combat Mexican interference

As Magness mentioned, sleep is incredibly important when adapting to altitude and England’s team hotel in Mexico is expected to have roadblocks around its perimeter, according to The Athletic.

Mexican fans set off fireworks, chanted songs and revved car engines outside Ecuador’s hotel throughout the evening ahead of their round of 32 clash, and the FA are keen to avoid a similar scenario happening.

Written by

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

View full bio