The Three Lions were forced to dig deep in the first knockout phase to drag out a 2-1 win over DR Congo thanks to a late double from captain Harry Kane.
Kane's heroics meant England avoided the dreaded chance of extra time and penalties in Atlanta, but that prospect is back on the cards, as they face El Tri at the Estadio Azteca.
Penalty shootouts don't hold quite the same historical fear for England fans in 2026, thanks to the exploits of former boss Gareth Southgate.
From 1990 to 2018, England won just one of seven penalty shootouts, as they became a source of national trauma with several players defined by their failure to fire in the most pressured setting.
Southgate's team won three shootouts out of four at major tournaments under his leadership, with outlier coming in the UEFA Euro 2020 final loss to Italy, with a list of core takers established after that.
Thomas Tuchel is keen to follow a similar line to Southgate and England's potential five vs. Mexico (and beyond) should have a familiar look to it.
Penalty No.1 - Harry Kane
If Kane is on the pitch, he takes a penalty, it's simple. He's first choice for club and country and has already scored from the spot in this tournament after firing home a retaken effort against Croatia.
Penalty No.2 Marcus Rashford
Rashford famously missed in the final of Euro 2020 as his strike came back of Gianluigi Donnarumma's post. However, he was successful in the 2018 shootout win over Colombia and will be trusted by Tuchel - even if he doesn't start against Mexico.
Penalty No.3 Declan Rice
Looking across those three shootouts, several takers are not in this squad, with Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier, Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold not involved this time.
Tuchel has promoted Rice to vice-captain in 2026 and his value as a leader is key - plus he scored for Arsenal in their shootout loss to PSG in the Champions League final at the end of the 2025/26 club campaign.
Penalty No.4 - Bukayo Saka
Saka followed Rashford in missing in the 2020 final with his saved effort sealing Italy's title. He's bounced back as a crucial player for club and country, and scored in the Euro 2024 shootout victory over Switzerland. He's Arsenal's first-choice taker, and if he's on the pitch at the end of 120 minutes, there could be a huge moment for him.
Penalty No.5 - Anthony Gordon
Ivan Toney and Jordan Henderson are the only other players to take a shootout penalty in a major competition for England in the squad - but there's few names with more confidence than Anthony Gordon - and he has the best conversion rate at club level from all of Tuchel's squad.