Sir Keir Starmer intervened to prevent Fifa bringing forward kick-off at the Azteca amid concerns the change could give Mexico an unfair advantage over England.
The UK Government stepped in through diplomatic channels to oppose moving the match from 1am to 7pm BST because it would mean the Three Lions had less time to adapt to the altitude, it is understood.
Sir Keir directed the intervention after being alerted to the potential problem by the FA, which is understood to have contacted Downing Street before the game, as first reported by The Sun.
England overcame hostility, altitude and Jarell Quansah’s red card to edge a 3-2 blockbuster against World Cup co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca and set up a quarter-final clash with Norway.
The prospect of thunderstorms in the area led to reports that the match could be brought forward by up to six hours, but the game was instead delayed by an hour to start at 2am UK time (7pm local time).
Sir Keir said the Government had to “battle” together with the FA to see off the prospect of an earlier kick-off as he mingled with guests at a Downing Street reception on Monday afternoon.
Asked about Britain stepping in, he told attendees: “We had to battle with the FA to get it back to where it was, which was counterintuitive.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir already intervened last week with emergency legislation to allow pubs to stay open late for the round-of-16 match.
“Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” he said.
A Tory source said on Monday: “Where’s this Keir Starmer been the whole time?”
Pubs reaped the dividend of England’s victory with sales increasing by 67% as fans found the perfect tonic for their nerves before celebrating the team’s progress to the quarter-finals, figures from Heineken UK suggest.
Food sales rose 81%, cider by 127% and lager by 76% in Heineken UK’s managed-operator pubs, with the busiest trading period around kick-off at 2am, with a 4,782% year-on-year increase in total sales.
About two thirds of the 2,400 pubs Heineken UK manages are estimated to have stayed open for the round-of-16 clash.
The hospitality sector as a whole received a boost from the early hours kick-off, with footfall on high streets across the UK up by nearly 150% between midnight and 6am compared with the same period last year, according to MRI Software.