It promises to be the nail-biting World Cup match which could see England catapulted into the quarter-finals.

But millions of fans hoping to cheer the Three Lions to glory against tournament co-hosts Mexico face a bleary-eyed Monday morning as the kick-off time at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium is set for 1am UK time.

And if the match goes to penalties, there is a good chance that the sleep-deprived nation could grind to a halt – much to employers’ dismay.

Fortunately, there are some simple rules which might help prevent a late night of celebration (or disappointment) from turning into a gruelling morning nightmare.

Here, the Daily Mail’s trusted experts have compiled the ultimate survival guide to Monday’s early morning game – a win for you, and hopefully for Harry Kane’s men…

After a difficult test against DR Congo on Wednesday, England are set to play Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning 

Many fans will be staying up late to watch the game, risking a bleary-eyed Monday morning

Should I go to bed before kick-off?

There’s no two ways about it: you’re going to be tired the next day. But experts say coming up with your own game plan, and deciding when to sleep, can help blunt the effects of a late night and make you more refreshed the next day.

Dr Alex Vass, a GP who specialises in lifestyle interventions and hormonal health, says the best strategy for a 1am kick-off is actually to have a power nap on Sunday afternoon.

Going to bed and setting an alarm before the match risks disrupting your sleep-wake cycles, he says, which can leave you feeling jet-lagged, rather than alert, during the match itself.

‘Timing a nap for when your body’s natural circadian rhythm creates a dip in alertness is going to make you feel most energised throughout the evening without having an effect on future sleep,’ he says.

‘Aim for around 20 to 30 minutes between 2pm and 4pm – rather than a mammoth two-hour nap or four-hour sleep, which will just make you feel more tired during the game.’

Intriguingly, research shows our ancestors slept in two cycles during the night, with an extended awake period in the middle.

‘Waking up for the England game is no different to what our ancestors did, except they’d be gathering around the campfire, not the television,’ sleep expert Dr Oliver Bernath adds. ‘So think of it as a more natural sleep cycle in some ways.’

Mexico have never got beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup, but following four wins and no goals conceded, their fans are confident they’re in with a chance

Try to avoid a big night out on Saturday and go to bed at a decent time instead to prepare for the following evening, he adds. And even if you only get a couple of hours’ sleep after the game before you have to get up and go to work or take the kids to school, it all adds up.

‘At the end of the day, any sleep is better than no sleep,’ Dr Vass says. ‘So even if you have a really early start on Monday morning, try and get at least an hour in after the game before your alarm.’

I normally have a few drinks before the football. Can I still do that? 

Yes. This is about adjusting your pre-match rituals than giving them up completely. And aiming for a 1am kick-off means thinking of this as a marathon, not a sprint.

If you want to enjoy the pub and the match, consider meeting friends later than you might for an earlier kick-off, and staying clear of anything that might make it harder to stay awake or sleep well after the match – such as sugary snacks and greasy food.

‘Eating a healthy full meal on Sunday is really important, especially if you’re going to be drinking during the match,’ nutritionist Rob Hobson says.

‘Try and avoid salty foods and alcohol too early in the day – you don’t want to be dehydrated before the real drinking even starts.

‘Spicy foods and ultra-processed snacks that can cause heartburn are also a bad idea. Paired with alcohol this can cause indigestion, making it harder to fall asleep.’

Experts say you can still enjoy the game and indulge in a pint or two – just don’t overdo it

Ultra-processed snacks such as crisps and sweets also tend to be high in free sugars, which can wreak havoc on our energy levels, Dr Vass added.

‘Moreish snacks that aren’t very nutrient-dense can cause blood sugar levels to spike then crash, causing peaks and troughs in our energy levels, which can make it hard to have the stamina to keep going.’

I can still have a few pints during the game… can’t I? 

Of course. While you can’t completely prevent a rough Monday if you’re watching football until 3am, you can stack the odds in your favour.

Most of what makes you feel dreadful after a late-night drinking session isn’t alcohol alone, but a combination of sleeping less, dehydration, disrupted sleep quality, and drinking more than you intended.

Eating a proper meal full of protein, carbohydrates and fat – such as pasta with a meat sauce, a chilli, or a Sunday roast – before you start drinking can help from the offset by slowing down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Start well-hydrated by having a few glasses of water before your first pint.

And be tactical – Rob Hobson recommends a practice known as ‘zebra striping’, which means alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to manage your intake and keep you hydrated.

As too much alcohol can affect your sleep-wake cycle and disrupt deep sleep – ultimately reducing the quality of the sleep you do get and making you feel more tired during the day – this should help ease the problem, if only a little.

You could also try switching to low-alcohol drinks, particularly in the second half, and drinking water before you go to bed to rehydrate.

This should give your body time to metabolise at least some of the alcohol before you go to bed. 

Why you should avoid that late-night takeaway 

For many people it’s an integral part of post-match celebration, but for a late-night kick-off, it’s best to skip a greasy takeaway.

It might soak up any alcohol, but it will leave your digestive system feeling sluggish and could stop you from getting to sleep afterwards, or make any sleep you do get more fragmented.

Instead, nutritionist Rob Hobson says the best thing you can do to promote sleep after the match is to have a simple bowl of cereal, such as Weetabix or Rice Crispies – ideally something without added sugar.

‘A small portion of carbohydrates can help promote sleep after the game,’ Mr Hobson says.

‘Carbohydrates increase the uptake of tryptophan by the brain, an amino acid that helps make serotonin which is then converted into melatonin – the so-called sleep hormone.’

As an added benefit, such a snack could even encourage you to have a healthier breakfast.

‘Having a light snack before bed can help reduce cravings for quick-hitting dopamine foods, which tend to be full of refined sugars and additives, the morning after,’ he adds.

How to beat that post-match buzz 

It’s only natural to want to launch straight into an impassioned post-match analysis. But as your body will be pumped full of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol from watching the game, it’s vital to give yourself time to wind down before going to bed – otherwise, dropping off will be nearly impossible.

Try and limit screen time after the game – otherwise dropping off will be near impossible

As little as 20 minutes to quietly decompress, by reading a book or listening to music, can be far more beneficial than jumping straight into bed, Dr Vass suggests. And make sure you put your phone away.

‘This can help calm the nervous system and ease your body from a state of cortisol-driven alertness into rest and digest mode, making it easier for you to drift off.

‘After the game, it’s important not to doomscroll – whether we win or lose – to encourage the body into a state of rest.

‘Continuing to look at screens can trigger a stress response, disrupting melatonin and making it harder for us to sleep.’

Why a lie-in the next morning could make you more tired 

Don’t be tempted to have a lie-in – ideally, you should try to wake up at the same time you normally would, according to Dr Bernath.

That’s because maintaining a consistent wake-up time can help preserve your body’s natural circadian rhythm and avoid that jet-lagged feeling.

‘I wouldn’t try to catch up and sleep in until 10am or so, as you’ll only disrupt your sleep pattern later,’ Dr Bernath says. ‘You might struggle to get to sleep at your normal time and could end up more tired. An extra hour might be fine, as long as your morning allows it, but no more.’

Catch up on sleep with an early night on Monday evening.

‘It’s much better to pay off your “sleep debt” by going to bed a little earlier for the rest of the week rather than relying on one long lie-in,’ Dr Vass says.

England will be playing Mexico early Monday morning at the iconic Azteca stadium – a daunting stadium for England supporters 

How sunshine and water can revive you

Drink some water and electrolytes (such as Dioralyte from your medicine cabinet) to rehydrate after drinking alcohol, which can strip your body of fluids, nutritionist Emma Bardwell recommends.

‘Sip it steadily, rather than necking litres of it,’ she says. This allows your body to absorb it efficiently without overloading your system – which only means you’ll need to go to the bathroom frequently.

And do it outside, if you can, to expose yourself to a dose of summer sunlight.

Dr Bernath says: ‘Bright light in the morning resets our body clock. Whether it makes a difference to a single night’s fragmented sleep isn’t clear. But generally speaking, if you can keep your wake-up time constant and expose yourself to daylight for half an hour to 40 minutes after waking, you may sleep better overall.’

What about caffeine – will that help?

Regardless of how tired you feel, avoid going straight in with a double espresso on an empty stomach, experts advise.

‘It can make you feel more jittery, especially if you’re dehydrated, nauseous or anxious,’ says Emma Bardwell. ‘Have your water or electrolytes first, then caffeine with or after breakfast.’

Drink what you’d normally have, whether that’s tea or coffee.

Nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine says tea can be a good option if you’re feeling jittery, as it contains less caffeine, while a milky coffee or latte might feel gentler on the stomach – especially if you haven’t eaten much.

And both recommend avoiding caffeine gum or tablets. While convenient, ‘they can rapidly ramp up the heart pounding and jitters’ and can lead to accidentally having too much caffeine – so could make you feel even worse, and prevent you from catching up on sleep later on.

What should I have for breakfast? 

Don’t just white knuckle it with a coffee and hope for the best. You’ll need a steady supply of energy throughout the day to keep you powering through, so aim for plenty of protein and slow-release carbohydrates, Emma Bardwell recommends. And don’t be tempted to go for a traditional fry-up, which can leave you feeling sluggish and can be harder to digest.

‘Think eggs on wholegrain toast, Greek yoghurt with berries and oats, or a smoothie with milk, banana, berries, oats and protein powder,’ she says. ‘This is gentler than a greasy fry-up, which can sit heavily if your gut is already fragile, and will help steady your blood sugar and support your energy.’

If you do fancy a fry-up, try to balance it out with items such as baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, and wholemeal toast, nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine suggests.

Eating little and often throughout the day can help maintain energy levels.

‘Good snacks include fruit with a handful of nuts, yoghurt with berries, oatcakes and carrot batons with hummus, or wholegrain toast with bananas and peanut butter,’ she says.

What can I do if I’ve got a hangover?

There’s no magic pill that can undo a late night and too many pints. Avoid ‘hair of the dog’ – you might feel briefly better after another alcoholic drink, but it’ll only delay your recovery, Emma Bardwell says.

Instead, her expert tips are to rehydrate slowly, eat a protein-rich breakfast (eggs, Greek yoghurt, salmon) or – if your stomach feels off – something bland but nourishing like a cheese toastie.

Time is the main healer, she says – so keep sipping water and get some gentle exercise, such as a walk, in the fresh air.

When will that slump come, and what should I do about it when it does?

Everyone will feel tired at some point, and for most that will come in the late morning or early afternoon.

‘When it hits, resist the urge to reach for a sugary snack and more coffee,’ advises Emma Bardwell. ‘Get outside for some daylight, hydrate really well, and have a proper lunch with more protein, fibre and carbs.’

Nichola Ludlam-Raine suggests gentle movement, like a 15-20 minute walk, can boost energy more effectively than a few biscuits or a coffee.

And a 20-minute power nap can also improve alertness without leaving you feeling groggy.