In a fiery Round of 16 match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, England overcame a red card to defeat Mexico 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. A brace from Jude Bellingham and a penalty from Harry Kane secured the win for the Three Lions. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Score: Mexico – England 2:3 (1:2). Goals: Bellingham 36 (0:1), Bellingham 38 (0:2), Quiñones 42 (1:2), Kane 60 pen (1:3), Jiménez 69 pen (2:3). Red card: Quansah (E, 54).
On the night of July 6-7, the World Cup decided who would go to Miami. Norway were the first to book a quarterfinal spot on July 12 at Hard Rock Stadium. A brace from Erling Haaland sent Brazil out of the tournament. For the first time in 36 years, the Seleção failed to reach the quarterfinals. In 1990 they lost to Argentina; now to Norway.
The first real chance in the match came in the 16th minute. Roberto Alvarado crossed from the right to Raúl Jiménez. The Fulham striker headed powerfully towards the bottom corner, but Jordan Pickford, England's ever-present goalkeeper since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, saved.
In a similar situation, Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel could not help his team in the 36th minute. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham converted Bukayo Saka's cross into a goal. Two minutes later, he scored again, this time with his foot after a pass from Harry Kane – 2-0.
Mexico had not conceded at home in the tournament, but they responded quickly. Javier Aguirre's men pressed hard, and in the 42nd minute, Julián Quiñones fired a cannonball into the England net – 2-1.
The assault continued. Jiménez could have equalized at least twice before halftime. The English players, fans, and viewers breathed a sigh of relief when Australian referee Alireza Faghani blew for halftime.
The second half saw a flurry of events. In the 50th minute, Manchester City defender Nicky O'Riley hit the post. In the 54th minute, the referee sent off Bayer Leverkusen's Jarrell Quansah for a rough foul. Then he awarded a penalty to England when Rangel fouled Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon in the box.
Kane scored from the spot in the 60th minute, but in the 69th minute, he conceded a penalty at the other end. Jiménez converted to bring Mexico back into the game – 3-2.
The final minutes saw furious attacks from the hosts, who had never lost a World Cup match at the Azteca. But Thomas Tuchel's team held on to reach the quarterfinals. Mexico, like co-host Canada, exited the tournament.
Other matches: South Africa – Canada 0:1, Brazil – Japan 2:1, Germany – Paraguay aet 1:1, pen 3:4, Netherlands – Morocco aet 1:1, pen 2:3, Ivory Coast – Norway 1:2, France – Sweden 3:0, Mexico – Ecuador 2:0, England – DR Congo 2:1, Belgium – Senegal 3:2, USA – Bosnia and Herzegovina 2:0, Spain – Austria 3:0, Portugal – Croatia 2:1, Switzerland – Algeria 2:0, Australia – Egypt aet 1:1, pen 2:4, Argentina – Cape Verde aet 3:2, Colombia – Ghana 1:0.
Quarterfinal pairings: Brazil – Norway 1:2, Mexico – England 2:3. Upcoming matches: Portugal – Spain, USA – Belgium, Argentina – Egypt.
The 23rd World Cup started on June 11. The tournament is being held in three countries for the first time – USA, Canada, and Mexico – and features 48 teams for the first time. After the group stage, the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advanced. The 2026 World Cup will conclude on the night of July 19-20 with the final in New York.