England's World Cup gear, including boots and balls, stolen before Kansas City arrival

The England national team faced an unexpected setback before even kicking off their World Cup 2026 campaign, with their regulation boots and training balls stolen en route to their base in Kansas City. The incident occurred prior to their scheduled first training session at Swope Soccer Village.

The Football Association, the governing body for English football, confirmed the theft. The team, managed by Thomas Tuchel, was set to begin preparations in Kansas City on Saturday afternoon. The loss of essential equipment poses an immediate logistical challenge for the squad.

Authorities in Missouri have launched an investigation into the alleged theft. A spokesperson for the Kansas City police stated they are looking into the "possible theft of equipment from a team convoy that had arrived in Kansas with missing items." The police are actively working to identify and apprehend those responsible for the missing gear.

England is scheduled to play their opening match of the tournament against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday. They will then face Ghana on June 23 and Panama on June 27. The team has approximately five days of training remaining before their first fixture, making the recovery of the stolen equipment a priority.