When Mexico and England meet in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the stakes could hardly be higher — and the atmosphere at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City promises to be electric. Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions will need to weather a passionate home crowd if they hope to advance to the quarterfinals, while El Tri, buoyed by an unbeaten streak stretching back to November 2025, will be drawing on every ounce of that energy to push deeper into the tournament.
England’s path to this point was anything but comfortable. Harry Kane, the inspirational captain, rescued his side with a brace against DR Congo in the Round of 32, securing a nervy 2-1 victory that was far closer than most England supporters would have liked. Mexico, by contrast, arrived at this stage with considerably more composure, having dispatched Ecuador 2-0 in midweek under the steady hand of coach Javier Aguirre — a result that underlined the cohesion and confidence building within the squad.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CST local time in Mexico City, which translates to 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT for viewers in the United States and Canada. Those watching in the United Kingdom will need to stay up late, with the match beginning at 1 a.m. BST, while Australian fans can catch the action at a far more civilized 10 a.m. AEST on Monday morning. FIFA confirmed the schedule would proceed as planned despite forecasts of severe thunderstorms around kickoff in Mexico City, having considered and then set aside any plans to reschedule.
For viewers in the United States watching in English, Fox holds exclusive broadcast rights for every match of the 2026 World Cup, and this Round of 16 fixture will air on Fox itself. Cord-cutters without a traditional cable subscription have several solid options. The Fox One streaming app — Fox’s direct-to-consumer service, launched last August — starts at $20 per month or $200 per year and provides access to Fox’s full portfolio, including FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes and local Fox stations; new subscribers can take advantage of a three-day free trial. Beyond that, major live TV streaming platforms carry both Fox and FS1: YouTube TV offers them as part of its $83-per-month standard plan, Fubo includes them in its $74-per-month Pro Plan, and DirecTV makes both channels available through its MySports package, currently offered to new subscribers at $50 per month for the first two months before reverting to the standard $65 monthly rate, with a five-day free trial to start.
Spanish-language viewers in the US are well served by NBCUniversal, which holds the Spanish broadcast rights through Telemundo and Universo. This particular match will air on Telemundo, and both channels are available to stream on Peacock, which offers Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound for an enhanced viewing experience. Peacock’s ad-supported Premium plan runs $11 per month, while the ad-free Premium Plus tier costs $17 per month.
In the United Kingdom, the BBC and ITV continue their long-standing arrangement of sharing World Cup broadcasting duties on free-to-air television, and given England’s involvement, this match will be shown on BBC One. Coverage begins at midnight BST, ahead of the 1 a.m. kickoff. The match is also fully available to stream on BBC iPlayer, accessible via Android and Apple mobile devices, most smart TVs, and a range of streaming boxes — all that is required is a valid UK television licence.
Australians following the tournament can watch every single 2026 World Cup match at no cost, as SBS holds free-to-air broadcast rights for the entire competition. The SBS On Demand streaming service carries all matches live and is available through dedicated apps for Android and iOS, as well as on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and most smart televisions — no subscription required.
In Canada, broadcast rights rest with Bell Media, which is airing matches in English on TSN and CTV, and in French on RDS. Streaming is available through the TSN Plus platform, which costs CA$8 per month and also includes coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, Formula 1, NASCAR and all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments — making it a reasonable investment for sports fans well beyond the World Cup itself.
For those travelling internationally during the tournament, a VPN can provide a meaningful layer of privacy and security when streaming on unfamiliar or public Wi-Fi networks, and can prevent internet service providers from throttling connection speeds. VPNs are legal in many countries, including Canada and the United States, though it is worth checking the terms of service of any streaming platform before using one, as some services have policies restricting VPN access to region-specific content. ExpressVPN is widely regarded as a reliable option, with its most popular annual plan normally priced at $120, currently available with a $45 discount for new subscribers.
