sports
England Team Prepares for Mexico Match with Sleep Protections
England's squad will arrive in Mexico City two days before its World Cup last-16 match against Mexico. Officials plan to keep the team hotel undisclosed and supply ear plugs, sleep bands, or white-noise machines if needed.
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England's squad will arrive in Mexico City on Friday for a World Cup last-16 match against Mexico scheduled for Sunday at 01:00 BST. The team will spend two nights in the capital before the game. Officials intend to keep the hotel location undisclosed to limit the chance that supporters learn the address through social media.
Players and staff who did not bring their own ear plugs or sleep bands will receive natural sleep remedies or white-noise audio machines.
The early arrival marks a shift from the team's usual practice of landing in the host city the night before a match. FIFA requires a part-open training session the day before the game, so the squad will hold that session in Mexico rather than Kansas.
City sits at an average elevation of about 2,240 metres. The reduced oxygen can affect players who have not acclimatised, and Mexico has already played four matches at high altitude during the tournament. A team official stated that full adaptation is not possible in the available time. The same statement noted that the squad will have to manage the conditions as they are.
