Thomas Tuchel celebrated England's place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals but did not hold back in his criticism of the officiating after his side edged Mexico 3-2 in a breathless round-of-16 clash at the Azteca.

England navigated a one-hour delay caused by thunderstorms, a vociferous home crowd, and a red card for Jarell Quansah — shown a straight red in the 54th minute following a VAR check — to secure one of the most dramatic wins in recent tournament history.

A night of controversy at the Azteca

The match turned on a contentious sequence of decisions. Referee Alireza Faghani awarded England a penalty, then was directed to the monitor by VAR and pointed to the spot against England — penalising Harry Kane for a foul on Brian Gutierrez, just minutes after Kane had converted from 12 yards to restore a two-goal lead. Raul Jimenez converted the spot-kick to set up a frantic final 20 minutes.

Tuchel was scathing about the standard of officiating.