England’s next game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Monday will provide an added challenge as the pitch is 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level.
Dr Matthew Cook, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at the University of Worcester said this would have an impact on the players.
“As you ascend in altitude, essentially the oxygen available in the air decreases,” he said.
The players’ maximum power was reduced, he said, meaning their breathing and heart rates would increase and they would recover more slowly from high-intensity sprints across the pitch.
“They might have a delayed run, or a delayed recovery run, or maybe one missed press or a tired decision that fans might notice, watching them,” Cook added.
He said the Mexican team would likely have had more time to acclimatise, and the players’ congested schedule meant they would not have had enough time to fully adjust to the altitude.
There were tactics the team coaches might consider to help the team, however, he said.
These included pacing, being selective about when to press on, using substitutions and working to hold possession.
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