England survive to knock Mexico out at the Azteca (3-2): a Bellingham double and a win with ten men
Jude Bellingham struck twice in four minutes (36', 38') and Harry Kane settled it from the spot, but England had to dig deep: they played almost 40 minutes a man down after Quansah's red card and Mexico —through Quiñones and Jiménez— came within a whisker of levelling. The Three Lions meet Norway in the quarters; the hosts bow out in their own stadium.
England reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after a thrilling battle at the Estadio Azteca, where they knocked out hosts Mexico (3-2) while hanging on to the end and a man short for almost 40 minutes. A lightning Jude Bellingham double and a Harry Kane penalty gave the Three Lions breathing room, and they withstood a late siege from a roaring Azteca to claim a ticket that was far closer than the scoreline suggests.
Thomas Tuchel set up a 4-2-3-1 with Jordan Pickford in goal and a glittering attack of Bukayo Saka, Bellingham and Anthony Gordon behind Kane. Opposite them, Javier Aguirre's Mexico lined up in a 4-3-3 with the young Gilberto Mora in midfield and the Raúl Jiménez-Julián Quiñones pairing up front. England struck in a flash: on 36 minutes Bellingham turned in a Saka cross (0-1) and barely two minutes later, teed up by Kane, completed his double for a 0-2 that looked to have the tie under control.
But Mexico refused to fold. Before half-time, Julián Quiñones pulled one back (42', 1-2) to restore belief to a roaring Azteca. And the game turned on 54 minutes: Jarell Quansah was shown a red card, leaving England with ten men for almost the entire second half. Far from shrinking, the English extended their lead: Harry Kane converted a penalty on 60 minutes for 1-3.
The tie, though, still had drama in it. Raúl Jiménez also scored from the spot (69', 2-3) and threw Mexico right back into a grandstand finish. With an extra man and the stadium on its feet, El Tri poured forward: they ended with 66% possession, eighteen attempts and an xG of 1.87, but ran time and again into Pickford and the dogged resistance of an England side that defended its box tooth and nail until the whistle.
Bellingham, named man of the match with a 9.2 for his decisive double, was the standout on a night England will remember for the character shown with ten men. Tuchel's side march into the quarter-finals, where a high-voltage clash awaits against the Norway of Erling Haaland that dumped Brazil out. Mexico, on the other hand, bow out in their own Azteca and become the second host eliminated after Canada; of the three organisers, only the United States remain alive.