“This is their stronghold,” a television announcer intoned as the camera swept around the teeming stands of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, some 7,350 feet above sea level.
It was just after 2 a.m. in England, and in the Clissold Park Tavern in North London, soccer fans were wide-awake, staring at the screen, braced to stay up until dawn to watch the men’s national soccer team in a World Cup knockout game against Mexico.
The game had originally been set to start at 6 p.m. in Mexico City — 1 a.m. in London. Stormy weather then delayed kickoff by an hour. In the stadium, fans hunkered down in the rain. In London, fans gritted their teeth, high on adrenaline, as they crowded into pubs that had been granted special dispensation to stay open until the bitter end.
Almost everyone at the Clissold Park Tavern was worried.
England was ranked higher than Mexico, but the English team had not been playing at its best. Some fans wondered: Would the Mexican players gain steam from playing in their “stronghold” home stadium? And what about the altitude? How would that affect English players unused to such conditions?
Despite the inconvenient kickoff time, for those at the pub, staying up was the only option.
Jude Onwuemezia, 28, said that he had tried to nap earlier in the day. “I had like 10 minutes of shut-eye,” he said.
His friend Liam Curley, 26, had a further challenge. “I start my new job in the morning,” he said. He planned to nap on the bus.
Charlotte Barret, 22, who works at the Clissold tavern but had come in on her night off, said she was trying not to think about her 7 a.m. start in another job, at a restaurant. “I’ll just stay awake,” she said.
All agreed: Watching at home would not have cut it. Who would be able to stay awake, sprawled on their couch at 3 a.m.? And who wants to celebrate, or commiserate, alone in their living room?
“It’s worth it,” said Joseph Conlan, 31, Ms. Barret’s boyfriend. “It’s the next best thing from being in the stadium, in terms of how it feels when you score.”
‘I’ve got heart palpitations right now’
The very fact that fans were able to gather for the game was unusual.
Normally, few British pubs stay open much past midnight. But last week, in an apparent last-minute bid for a fun dad legacy, departing Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized the extension to opening hours for the game.
Many fans had crowded into pubs hours before kickoff, flags painted on their faces and national jerseys on show.
More than half an hour into the game, the sides were deadlocked. Then, in the 37th minute, the English star Jude Bellingham scored with a close-range header to put England ahead.
Barely two minutes later, Bellingham scored again to make it 2-0. Mr. Conlan hit the roof, literally — banging hard into a heater hanging from the ceiling.
The pub was bouncing. “This is why I stayed up!” Ms. Barret yelled.
The celebrations had barely dimmed when Julián Quiñones scored for Mexico just before half time to cut England’s lead to 2-1.
Cue more pressure.
Mr. Onwuemezia cracked open his seventh Red Bull. “I’ve got heart palpitations right now,” he said.
He and his friends had traveled to the pub to watch together. (He lives more than an hour away, in Ealing, West London.) None of them had considered staying home.
“You’ve got to back your country,” said one of the group, Ashlee Tuitt, 27.
‘We’re all far away from home’
In London, England fans could tumble into virtually any pub. For those in the city backing Mexico, finding fellow fans was tougher.
For some, Mestizo, a restaurant and tequila bar in central London, seemed like the ideal spot.
A long line of people waited outside before the game. Many wore Mexico jerseys; some had Mexican flags draped around their shoulders. Inside, a mariachi band roamed and tacos were on sale. The room was packed tight.
Other Mexico fans gathered at the Prince of Wales Feathers, a pub in central London, which, despite the name, was teeming with green and white Mexico shirts.
Downstairs, some fans drummed their fingertips, nervous. In an upstairs room, others sang a medley of Mexican songs, wiping away tears of emotion at the familiar choruses.
“We’re all far away from home here,” said Valeria Salazar, 31, who grew up in Mexico, lives in New York and was visiting London for a few days.
“It’s kind of a way of bringing ourselves together and just reminding us where we come from,” she added as the singing grew louder.
‘It was worth it!’
As the second half began, viewers at the Clissold Park Tavern simmered with stress. Every pass and tackle was debated and dissected.
Less than 10 minutes in, Jarell Quansah, an England defender, slid into a Mexico player. After a review, the referee brandished a red card. The pub erupted in dismay. England would have to play the rest of the game with 10 men against Mexico’s 11. Grudgingly, Mr. Curley acknowledged, it was probably a fair call.
Then things took another turn. England won a penalty kick that the captain, Harry Kane, whipped into the net to make the score 3-1.
The pub erupted.
Mr. Curley and Mr. Onwuemezia leapt up and down, roaring in delight.
Just minutes later, their anguish returned. A Mexican player was clipped in the box. Another penalty — this time for Mexico. Raúl Jiménez scored, and England’s lead was back to a single goal, 3-2. There were more than 20 minutes still to play.
As the sky began to lighten with the tendrils of dawn, Troi Regis, 30, got late-night philosophical. “I love the fact that it’s at 4 a.m.,” he said. It felt a bit transgressive, he added, “Like, we shouldn’t be out here, but we are.”
The minutes ticked down. Some England fans watched through their fingers. Mexico mounted wave upon wave of attack, but could find no way through. Just after 4, England’s victory was sealed.
“It was worth it!” Mr. Tuitt shouted. “It was worth staying up!”
Friends embraced and cried and sang together. As the excitement wore off, some began strategizing how to get home. Few trains had started running. Bikes for hire were being snapped up. Ride-share prices were astronomical.
Mr. Curley shouldered his bag, ready to head home for a cold shower and a meal before starting his new job, he said. The adrenaline would carry him, he reckoned.
“I’m blown away,” he said, grinning. “I might not even sleep.”
