Everything about Mexico v England points to a World Cup classic – here's why

The big one is here: Mexico v England. The World Cup last 16 at the iconic Azteca Stadium. The hype has been justified; a venue dripping in history with Pele and Diego Maradona leaving indelible marks on this fortress. 

The atmosphere will be hot with the vast majority of the 80,000 in attendance whipped into a frenzy. This one just means a lot and, despite breaking the the 'quinto partido' curse, having arrived at their fifth match of the tournament, Mexico will be desperate to match their best-ever result of a quarter-final. A farewell at the tournament and, in this shape and size, to the World Cup for the Azteca, with the final heading north to the United States and New Jersey. Who knows when Mexico will host another World Cup? And presumably the current state of the Azteca will need refining. Reflection can wait, though.

For all the factors off the pitch, England can leave their mark on it, while banishing the demons of '86 and that Maradona goal. Conquering the altitude and dealing with the lesser-spoken consequences in recovery presents an obstacle, both physically and mentally, with our chief football writer Miguel Delaney sampling the impact on your lungs on a jog around Mexico City yesterday.

But this is a football match, ultimately, and England must contend with dangerman Julian Quinonez, wildcard Gilberto Mora and have the bravery to set up opportunities against these inferior players. It promises to be a magical moment. 

France's 'Fab Four' survived a nasty, tetchy last 16 tie against a Paraguay side willing to dish out punishment and drag Les Bleus into a war. 

They certainly nibbled, but ultimately France and Kylian Mbappe, just about, kept their cool. Their No 10 did so both from the spot, after VAR belatedly awarded a penalty for a foul on Desire Doue, and then after absorbing some blows from the bully boy South American tactics.

Joe Hart described Paraguay's behaviour as "disgraceful" on BBC Sport, but at just 1-0 to Didier Deschamps' side, this tie was in the balance and perhaps justified the controversial tactics.

Now, France prepare for a quarter-final against Morocco in Boston (kind of). 

Waiting in Foxborough will be the Atlas Lions, who dispatched co-hosts Canada 3-0. A generous scoreline, yet Morocco continue on their path to better their remarkable run in Qatar. Their biggest concern? Ismael Saibari's injury, which forced him off after 20 minutes, could prove critical to their chances of upsetting the favourites.

Jack Rathborn | Sports Editor

Essential reading