England vs Mexico: World Cup Match Day Safety Tips

England’s World Cup last-16 tie with Mexico will go ahead under the floodlights of Mexico City as originally planned – and under the watchful eye of police back home.

Fifa has confirmed the match will kick off at 01:00 BST on Monday (18:00 local time), sticking with the late-night start after rowing back on proposals to bring the game forward. For fans in England, it means another long night, another test of stamina, and, for some, another night of heavy drinking.

That is exactly what concerns Devon and Cornwall Police.

Supt Joe Matthews has urged supporters to plan their night as carefully as Gareth Southgate will plan his team sheet. Where are you watching? How are you getting home? Who’s driving? Those are the questions he wants answered before the first pint is poured.

His message is blunt: if you are driving, do not drink.

He stressed that even a small amount of alcohol can impair a driver’s ability and that there is “no reliable way to drink and stay within the limit – because everyone is different you cannot work out a safe level by counting units”. The old myths get short shrift too. Time is the only thing that clears alcohol from the body, not “sleep, coffee or a full English breakfast”.

The warning stretches beyond the final whistle. Matthews wants people to think very carefully about getting behind the wheel the following day, with alcohol still potentially in their system from the late kick-off and early hours celebrations.

The stakes, he says, are as real as anything in Mexico City. If you suspect someone is about to drive after drinking or taking drugs, call 999. “You could save a life,” he said.

Police in Devon and Cornwall have a specific operation in place for the World Cup period, working with pubs and other licensed venues, with England match days under particular scrutiny. Officers expect emotions to surge as the night wears on – especially with knockout football on the line.

Matthews called it a “certainty” that feelings will be “running high” during and after the game. That’s part of the occasion. What he wants to avoid is the moment when the night turns.

“Make the evening one to be remembered for all the right reasons,” he said.

His final appeal is to the friends in every group – the ones who notice when someone has had one too many. “Keep an eye on your friends, and if it looks like they are getting a bit out of hand, just have a quiet word, step in, and walk them away.”

England will be fighting to stay in the tournament on the other side of the world. At home, the battle is simpler: get everyone there and back in one piece.