England soccer players could turn to Viagra for the altitude in Mexico City before Sunday’s match against Mexico. The option is unusual, but the setting is unforgiving: Mexico City Stadium sits over 7,217 feet above sea level.
Mexico City Stadium and Viagra
The drug is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances, so it is available as a legal option if players feel they need it. Some studies have found that Viagra can help with the effects of being at high altitudes by reducing fatigue and dizziness tied to lower blood pressure in the lungs.
That gives England a narrow, specific choice rather than a blanket answer. If a player feels the altitude, the possible aid is there; if he does not, there is no need to use it. The point is practical, not symbolic.
England in Mexico
England arrived in Mexico ahead of Sunday’s match, and the team’s hotel location was kept secret. That decision followed the previous round, when Mexican fans sat outside the hotel when Mexico took on Ecuador. The move was about privacy as much as preparation.
The altitude is the more immediate problem. Mexico City Stadium is more than 1,900 feet higher than Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, which stands at 5,280 feet. That comparison does not make the match simple, but it shows why the discussion has centered on how England might cope rather than on the venue alone.
England in the World Cup
On Sunday, England faces Mexico in Mexico City, and the small detail that has drawn attention is whether any England players would actually use Viagra. That is the real story now: a legal, non-banned option sitting on the table for a match played high above sea level, with England already in place and the clock running toward kickoff.
