English footballers may use altitude drug before Mexico match, Sun reports

SALADIN, Iraq — The Sun reported that England’s national football team players may take medication containing sildenafil to help their bodies adjust to playing at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, around 2,240 meters above sea level, in the 2026 World Cup round of 16. According to the report, coach Thomas Tuchel is concerned that the move from the team’s Kansas City training base to Mexico City could increase the risk of oxygen drop, fatigue and dizziness tied to altitude. The Sun said sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, widens blood vessels in the lungs, lowering pulmonary pressure and reducing fatigue caused by oxygen deficiency at high elevation. The newspaper noted that Argentina’s Unión de Santa Fe used a similar approach before a match at roughly 2,850 meters in 2019. It also said sildenafil is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list and that agency research has not shown it provides a clear performance boost at sea level, while a 2015 study found it improved physical performance in some athletes above 3,800 meters — a level far higher than England is set to face. England reached the round of 16 after a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The English Football Association has not confirmed the report; it also denied similar stories before the 2010 World Cup.