England Prepares for Altitude Challenge in Mexico City
England will climb into the thin air of Mexico City on Sunday knowing the altitude will be as stubborn an opponent as Mexico. They are prepared to fight it with science, conditioning, and careful planning.
But not with Viagra.
Thomas Tuchel arrived for his pre-match press conference at the Estadio Azteca with the usual questions in mind: tactics, selection, pressure. Instead, one of the first topics was a rumour that simply refuses to die.
Had England really considered using Viagra to combat the effects of playing at 7,220 feet above sea level?
“The information to support it didn't reach me, so that's not true,” Tuchel replied, laughing off the suggestion.
The story had gathered pace in the build-up to the round of 16 tie, fuelled by the fact that Viagra is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances. A 2006 study found the drug “significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude” because it improves blood flow. From there, the leap to football and Mexico City was always likely.
The idea makes for eye-catching headlines. It does not, Tuchel made clear, make its way into England’s medical planning.
This is not even new territory for the national team. Back in 2009, before the World Cup in South Africa, the English FA had to issue a formal denial after a similar report claimed Viagra might be used to counter altitude issues 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.”
More than a decade on, the script is almost identical. Different continent, different coach, same answer.
While the offbeat narrative circled around the Azteca, Tuchel’s real concerns were far more conventional: who is fit, who can start, and who might be able to give him 20 minutes if the tie drifts into chaos late on.
On that front, there was at least some good news.
“You saw that Jarell trained, Jarell trained fully, is fully available,” Tuchel confirmed, a significant boost after the defender missed the last-32 win over DR Congo with an ankle issue.
Reece James remains the more delicate call. The hamstring problem that kept him out of that game has eased, but not enough for any guarantees.
“Reece can maybe make it onto the bench,” Tuchel said. “He needs a last assessment from the doctors and medical opinion if this makes sense.”
So England go into the Mexico clash with one key defender back, another hovering on the brink, and an altitude plan rooted in sports science rather than pharmaceutical folklore.
The air will be thin, the noise thick, the stakes high. The solutions, Tuchel insists, will be found on the training ground and in the medical room—not in the medicine cabinet.
