England’s national football team will return to the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the first time in four decades when they face Mexico in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The stadium, etched in football history for Diego Maradona’s controversial “Hand of God” goal during the 1986 tournament, remains a significant landmark for England’s supporters and former players alike.
Gary Lineker, who played as a forward for England in that 1986 match and scored a goal himself, spoke candidly about his memories of the game and his perspective on the events at the Azteca. At 65, Lineker does not harbor bitterness about Maradona’s infamous handball, which allowed the Argentine to score. Instead, he expressed admiration for Maradona’s audacity and skill, particularly recalling the second goal Maradona scored after a remarkable solo run past multiple England defenders.
Lineker described being too far from the incident to see the handball clearly but noted the immediate reaction of his teammates suggested something was amiss. “In the immediate aftermath, we were all pissed off but personally, after 40 years, you get over it,” Lineker stated. He attributes the fault more to the officials than to Maradona, noting that the linesman later admitted to seeing the handball but did not intervene. Reflecting on the play, Lineker observed that while he might have attempted a similar tactic in the final moments of the game, it was unlikely to have crossed his mind to use his hand in that way.
The 1986 World Cup was a turning point for Lineker’s career. Despite entering the tournament with a broken wrist, he emerged as the Golden Boot winner, scoring six goals including a hat-trick against Poland. The performance elevated his international profile and paved the way for a transfer to Barcelona. “It was huge for me, life-changing,” Lineker said, noting the significance of competing on the global stage and the importance strikers place on winning the tournament’s top scorer award.
In later years, Lineker met with Maradona for a television documentary discussing their 1986 encounter. He described the experience as surreal, highlighting the adulation surrounding Maradona and commenting that the Argentine never seemed to express regret for the handball, instead viewing it as “quite cute.”
Looking ahead to England’s 2026 match, Lineker dismissed the notion of seeking to “right a wrong” at the Azteca. He emphasized that the current England team is entirely different and that the stadium itself, though modernized, remains essentially the same. Lineker noted the challenges posed by playing at the altitude of Mexico City and the fervor of the home supporters but expressed confidence in England’s quality. “We’re a better team than Mexico but the home crowd, plus the altitude, levels it up a bit,” he said.
Lineker recently returned to the Azteca to be inducted into its Hall of Fame, a revisit that reinforced his perspective on the venue and the upcoming fixture. The stadium, which he described as deceptively large once inside, has been refurbished but retains the historic atmosphere that shaped one of football’s most memorable World Cup moments.