England edged past co-hosts Mexico 3-2 at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Sunday, securing their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals despite playing the final stages of the match with ten men. The victory marks a historic first — no team had ever beaten Mexico at the Azteca in a World Cup fixture, and only two sides had managed a competitive win there in 89 previous attempts.

Thomas Tuchel's side will now face Erling Haaland and Norway in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday for a place in the semifinals, as they pursue a first World Cup title since 1966.

Bellingham's brace sets the tone

Jude Bellingham ignited the contest, netting twice in the space of 98 seconds to silence a passionate crowd of more than 80,000. Mexico refused to fold, however, and Julián Quiñones pulled one back before halftime to restore the frenzied Azteca atmosphere.

The match was further disrupted by an hour-long weather delay, yet the drama was far from over once play resumed.

Red card and penalty madness

England right back Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card in the 54th minute following a video review for a high challenge on Jesús Gallardo, gifting Mexico renewed hope. Yet within minutes, Harry Kane stepped up to convert from the penalty spot after goalkeeper Raúl Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon, extending England's lead to 3-1.

The goal was Kane's sixth of this tournament and his 14th in World Cup history, drawing level with Gerd Müller of West Germany for fifth place on the all-time scoring list.

The afternoon then took a remarkable turn when Kane became the first player since at least 1966 to both score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match. A video review determined he had fouled Brian Gutiérrez, and Raúl Jiménez converted the resulting spot kick to make it 3-2 and set up a frantic finale.

Mexico's World Cup curse continues

Despite their fierce pressure, Mexico could not find an equaliser against the ten-man England side, and their dream of a first quarterfinal since they hosted the tournament in 1986 ended at the final whistle. It is now the eighth time Mexico have exited at the round-of-16 stage in that same span. The only other occasion they advanced beyond the last 16 was when they hosted the competition in 1970.

Elsewhere, Canada were eliminated by Morocco on Saturday, leaving the United States as the sole remaining co-host nation. The U.S. are scheduled to face Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday.