The World Cup isn’t just about football. Sometimes it’s about physics. Sometimes it’s about oxygen.
For England, the knockout round against Mexico is a literal uphill battle. The match kicks off at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a stadium perched at 7,220 feet. High ground. Thick history. Thin air.
England is favored by the betting markets—usually behind France, Argentina, or maybe Spain to win the whole thing. But odds don’t care about altitude. Not really. The Three Lions have played their recent matches at or near sea level across Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Suddenly they’re in the mountains. It’s a shock to the system.
They arrived in Mexico on Friday. Just 49 hours before kickoff. Their coach Thomas Tuchel called the situation a “big disadvantage.” Said it was “impossible” to fully overcome in that window. He’s not wrong. El Tri has lost only twice at home since 1966. One was against Honduras in 2013 qualifiers. The other against the USA in the same window. Before that? Fortress Mexico City.
Why your lungs hate elevation
Here’s the science bit. Higher altitude means lower barometric pressure. Oxygen molecules spread out. The air is thinner. Less oxygen per breath.
Your lungs struggle to push that sparse oxygen into the blood. Hemoglobin saturation drops. Normally 98%. Here, it dips to 91% or 92%. Less fuel for your tissues. Less aerobic energy for running. More fatigue. Immediate weakness.
To compensate, your body shifts to anaerobic metabolism. It burns faster but dirtier. Lactic acid builds up. You feel it in the legs. The kind of burn that makes sprinting feel like running through concrete.
Then there’s the dry air. Dehydration sets in faster. Thirst doesn’t always tell the whole story. Performance fades when you’re underwater on hydration.
Home turf advantage
Mexico has adapted. Weeks of living in Mexico City mean their bodies have cranked out erythropoietin (EPO). More EPO means more red blood cells. More oxygen carriage. It takes time. England didn’t get time.
Their last match was a 2-1 win over DR Congo in Atlanta on July 1. They’ve been bouncing around the US. No time to adjust to the thin air. No time to build those red blood cells.
Soccer is endurance with bursts of speed. There are no beds on the field. No sitting down. You run. You stop. You run again. Do that for 90 minutes while breathing less air. Good luck.
Beetroot? Probably not
Can England fix it? Maybe eat beets?
Beetroot juice contains nitrates. Some say nitrates relax blood vessels and boost blood flow. The evidence is mixed, though. Other studies suggest nitrates might actually make altitude sickness worse. Yikes.
Stick to water. Hydration increases blood volume. Helps circulation. Keep the nutrients clean. Sleep as much as possible.
Mexico has the crowd. The altitude. The rhythm of the Azteca. England has nothing but the ball and their legs. It won’t be the first time an underdog fought the conditions. But fighting gravity is harder than fighting a defense.
Who will make the climb? Only time tells. The whistle hasn’t blown yet.
