Captain Harry Kane rescued a 2-1 win over DR Congo in the first knockout stage after a disastrous first hour for England in Atlanta despite finishing top of Group L.
The clash with Mexico is England's first game outside the USA so far at the tournament and it will also be their only one under those conditions if Thomas Tuchel's team make it all the way to the final.
The Estado Azteca will be a testing prospect for Tuchel and his players due to Mexico's record of never losing a World Cup match at their preferred home and the dizzying altitude.
Mexico's main base is around 7,200ft above sea level which can make the air thinner and mean less oxygen is taken into the bloodstream as a significant barrier to athletic performance.
It will not be an issue for Javier Aguirre's team, who have played three of their games so far at the Azteca and one in Guadalajara, but it's a new experience for England's players.
"The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it. It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between these matches. It's physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude," Tuchel stated after the DR Congo win.
"That's just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. More obstacles may come, but we are ready for that."
Whoever progresses from this tie, their three potential subsequent games will all be in the USA, in Atlanta, Miami and a final in New Jersey.