England gear stolen before World Cup opener against Croatia
Shafaq News- Kansas City
England’s World Cup preparations suffered a setback after training equipment was stolen while being transported to the team’s base in Kansas City, days before their Group L opener against Croatia.
Kansas City Police said they were investigating a possible theft from a team vehicle that arrived with items missing after equipment was transported from England’s pre-tournament camp in Florida to Swope Soccer Village in Missouri. Two “persons of interest” were taken into custody.
The incident occurred before Thomas Tuchel’s squad arrived at their World Cup training base, where England are set to prepare for matches against Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
The Guardian reported that boots, official tournament balls, and training equipment were among the missing items, while The Times said England’s essential custom-made boots and elite performance gear were not taken, and missing items mainly included spare footwear and training balls, with some later recovered.
England’s players, including captain Harry Kane, were reportedly reassured that their personalized equipment remained safe ahead of the squad’s first training session in Kansas City.
England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17 before facing Ghana and Panama. Tuchel’s squad arrived in North America carrying high expectations, with Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, and Cole Palmer among the players expected to lead England’s bid for a first major men's title since 1966.
The England camp had already completed a warm-weather preparation period in Florida before moving to Kansas City, where the team’s training base was selected as part of a wider plan to manage travel, recovery, and match preparation during the expanded 48-team tournament.
Separately, a decomposed body was found inside the trunk of a car parked near Estadio Caliente, where Iran’s national team have been training in Tijuana. Mexican authorities have not linked the case to Iran’s squad.
