A theft of equipment from vehicles used by the England national team prompted a police investigation after the team arrived in Kansas City, Missouri. The English Football Association confirmed the theft to The Associated Press but said it could not provide further details while authorities investigate. Officials say the items were taken at some point Friday night during the team’s over‑the‑road transport from Florida to Kansas City.
Sgt. Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City Police Department confirmed that two people have been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who has been acting as the city’s primary World Cup spokesperson, said public safety officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to trace where the items were seized and identify everyone who may have been involved.
Although England does not play any group matches in Kansas City, the Three Lions selected the Midwestern city as their permanent World Cup base because of its central location. The team’s opening game against Croatia is Wednesday in Dallas — about a 90‑minute flight — while matches versus Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are within three hours by air, and West Coast locations would also be reachable for later rounds.
Other national teams based in the area include defending champion Argentina and the Netherlands in Kansas City, with Algeria located in nearby Lawrence, Kansas.
England is training at Swope Soccer Village, a site formerly used by MLS club Sporting Kansas City and home to the club’s second‑division team and academy programs. Organizers have raised an England flag at the facility and posted a sign reading “The Home of England.” The squad is staying at a boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas.
England had been scheduled to hold an open training session at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday for media and selected community members, though forecasted storms could affect that plan.
James Robson reported from Atlanta.