England vs Mexico World Cup Match: Police Urge Safe Celebrations

England’s late-night World Cup date with Mexico will go ahead exactly as planned – and police are braced for a long, emotional night at home.

Fifa has confirmed that the last-16 tie in Mexico City will kick off at 01:00 BST on Monday (18:00 local time), sticking with the original schedule after a brief flirtation with bringing the game forward. For fans in England, it means another bleary-eyed, high-stakes vigil in front of big screens and pub TVs.

In Devon and Cornwall, police are already on the front foot.

Supt Joe Matthews has urged supporters to plan their night as carefully as Gareth Southgate will plan his team sheet – especially if alcohol is involved.

“If you’re driving, don’t drink,” is his blunt message. Not a little. Not “just a couple”.

He stressed that even a small amount of alcohol can impair a person’s ability to drive and warned against the familiar myth that you can safely “drink within the limit” by counting units. There is, he said, no reliable way to do that because everyone processes alcohol differently.

The only thing that clears alcohol from the body is time. Not sleep. Not coffee. Not a full English breakfast the morning after.

That warning stretches well beyond the final whistle. Matthews wants people to think hard about getting behind the wheel the next day, when the adrenaline has faded but the alcohol may not have.

If anyone suspects a person is about to drive after drinking or taking drugs, he says they should call 999 immediately. His message is stark: that call could save a life.

Police in the region have set up a specific World Cup policing operation, working with licensed premises across Devon and Cornwall, with England match days under particular scrutiny. Officers expect emotions to surge as the night wears on – and they are treating that as a certainty, not a possibility.

Pubs will fill, nerves will fray, and the tension of a knockout tie will do the rest.

Matthews wants the night to be memorable for the right reasons, not for tragedy on the roads or trouble outside venues. He has called on friends to look after one another, to step in quietly if someone starts to lose control, and to walk them away before things escalate.

England will be fighting to stay in the World Cup. At home, the challenge is simpler but no less serious: enjoy the drama, survive the night, and make sure everyone gets back safely.