The World Cup produces joy for many nations and their fanbases, but for round of 16 opponents England and Mexico, their tournament history is mostly defined by heartbreak.
England’s history in the competition is filled with missed opportunities and controversial decisions that led to early exists, while Mexico’s history is filled with moments of coming up short and agonizing defeats.
Few moments capture this shared agony better than the 1986 World Cup, where both sides lost in the quarterfinals, Diego Maradona used his hand to score against England and Mexico was eliminated by West Germany in a penalty shootout.
These parallel histories of heartbreak have deepened in subsequent tournaments, building a legacy of frustration that both sides are still trying to escape.
England and Mexico bring decades of tournament heartbreak to their round of 16 clash at the Mexico City Stadium, but Mexico will have the support of a home crowd behind them. (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Now, these two histories of tournament trauma collide. England and Mexico are set to face each other in the round of 16 at Mexico City Stadium.
For England, it is a return to the venue where Maradona’s Hand of God goal altered their history forty years ago. For Mexico, playing as tournament co-hosts, it is a chance to break their round of 16 curse on home soil under Aguirre, the same manager who oversaw their 2002 and 2010 exits.
With both fanbases conditioned by decades of refereeing controversies and penalty failures, this knockout match ensures that one nation will confront its past ghosts while the other could add the latest installment to its series of World Cup heartbreaks. We revisit these two teams’ biggest heartbreaks ahead of Sunday’s match.
Diego Maradona scored two iconic goals in a span of four minutes to eliminate England from the 1986 quarterfinals. Maradona later claimed that this goal was scored by ‘The Hand Of God’. (Photo by Archivo El Grafico/Getty Images)
The image of the semifinal against West Germany was Paul Gascoigne crying after receiving a yellow card that disqualified him from the final.
England ultimately lost the ensuing shootout, though Gascoigne’s emotional reaction drew mixed reviews globally and became the lasting memory of English heartbreak.
A second-half red card for David Beckham left England with ten men before a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Argentina in 1998. (Photo by Arnold Slater /Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
In 2010, refereeing decisions altered their path once more during a round of 16 matchup against Germany. England trailed 2-1 when Frank Lampard hit a shot that struck the crossbar and clearly crossed the line.
The referee and linesman failed to award the goal, allowing play to continue. The disallowed goal halted England’s momentum completely. Instead of entering halftime tied at 2-2, a deflated England team conceded twice more in the second half, resulting in a 4-1 elimination by Germany.
Host nation Mexico failed to convert in a penalty shootout loss to West Germany in the 1986 quarterfinals. (Photo by Peter Robinson – PA Images via Getty Images)
The 2002 tournament brought a different kind of pain under manager Javier Aguirre. After winning their group, Mexico faced regional rivals the United States in the knockout stage. Expected to advance, Mexico instead suffered a 2-0 defeat, with Aguirre facing criticism for his mid-match tactical changes.
Decades later, Aguirre has returned as the national team coach, tasked once again with leading the program past this specific hurdle.
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – June 24: A 98th-minute extra-time volley from Maxi Rodriguez eliminated Mexico on June 24, 2006 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
The frustration peaked in 2014, giving birth to the national phrase ‘no era penal.’
Mexico held a lead against the Netherlands late into the match before conceding an equalizer. In stoppage time, Arjen Robben went down in the penalty area following a challenge by Rafael Marquez, drawing a controversial penalty call that allowed the Netherlands to eliminate Mexico, resulting in arguably the biggest heartbreak for El Tri fans to date.
Following the controversial victory, the Netherlands sparked a run to a third-place finish, leaving Mexico fans to wonder how far they could have gone instead.
Ironically, on June 29, 2026—the exact twelve-year anniversary of that afternoon—the Netherlands suffered their own knockout heartbreak on Mexican soil, losing a penalty shootout to Morocco at Monterrey Stadium.
