Mexico-England: Referee Faghani recounts his round of 16

Alireza Faghani, 48, refereed the round of 16 match Mexico-England on July 5, 2026 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The atmosphere was extreme: nearly 90,000 supporters created a deafening noise in the stadium. Thomas Tuchel, England's manager, had criticized the quality of the refereeing after this explosive encounter. Faghani had to manage the unique conditions of the stadium located at 2,240 meters altitude, where Mexico remained unbeaten in official matches since 2013.