England Prepares for World Cup Clash Against Mexico at Estadio Azteca
England will try to conquer the altitude at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday. Viagra will not be part of the game plan.
On the eve of their World Cup round of 16 clash with Mexico in Mexico City, head coach Thomas Tuchel was forced to swat away one of the more bizarre subplots of the tournament so far.
Asked in his pre-match press conference about reports that England might use Viagra to help players cope with the thin air more than 7,000 feet above sea level, Tuchel could only laugh.
“The information to support it didn't reach me, so that's not true,” he said, smiling as the room reacted.
The question didn’t come out of nowhere. The Estadio Azteca’s altitude — around 7,220 feet — has dominated the build-up, with several outlets floating the idea that England could legally use the drug because it does not appear on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list.
A 2006 study found that Viagra “significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude” by boosting blood flow. That line alone was enough to fuel headlines and speculation about a possible marginal gain for teams operating in extreme conditions.
Once again, England have had to say: not us.
This is not even a fresh rumour. Back in 2009, with the World Cup in South Africa on the horizon, the English FA issued a formal statement denying any plan to use Viagra to deal with altitude at that tournament.
“The England medical staff are conducting detailed research with a variety of experts ahead of next year's World Cup,” the FA said at the time. “However, there has been no discussion with regard to Viagra and certainly no plans for the players to take it in South Africa at the tournament.”
Fifteen years on, the same story has resurfaced in a different hemisphere, with the same answer.
While the offbeat narrative circled outside, Tuchel focused on more conventional concerns: injuries, selections, and how to navigate 90 minutes — or more — in the rarefied air against a Mexico side built for these conditions.
There was at least some good news.
“You saw that Jarell trained, Jarell trained fully, is fully available,” Tuchel confirmed, easing fears over Jarell Quansah’s ankle problem. The defender missed the last-32 win over DR Congo but has come through training at full tilt and is in line to return.
Reece James is a more delicate case. The right-back, sidelined with a hamstring issue, remains on the edge of involvement.
“Reece can maybe make it onto the bench, he needs a last assessment from the doctors and medical opinion if this makes sense,” Tuchel said.
So England head into one of football’s most iconic arenas with their squad close to full strength, their lungs about to be tested, their preparation rooted in sports science and medical detail rather than miracle pills.
The altitude will be real. The noise will be deafening. The myths, once again, stay in the stands.
