England finally recover possession... of their stolen World Cup boots

SHAH ALAM – England have recovered the majority of the training equipment that was stolen prior to their arrival in Kansas City on Saturday, providing a major relief for manager Thomas Tuchel and his squad as preparations for the World Cup gather pace.

The incident occurred after vehicles transporting equipment to England's training base at Swope Soccer Village were reportedly broken into before the team's arrival.

British media reported that the stolen items included match boots, personalised gear and official tournament footballs intended for use during the competition.

According to reports, local authorities launched an immediate investigation after the theft was discovered on Friday evening, with police officers working closely with the Football Association (FA) to track down the missing equipment.

Kansas City police confirmed that two individuals had been taken into custody as investigations continue.

"We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing," police said in a statement, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

The recovery of most of the equipment comes as England begin their final preparations for their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday.

British media also reported that many of the stolen items had been specially prepared for the tournament, including customised boots featuring players' initials, family names, national flags and personalised insoles.

Former England defender Phil Jagielka noted that while replacement boots would be available, many players prefer equipment tailored specifically to their personal requirements and prepared months in advance of a major tournament.

England's players are scheduled to undertake their first full training session in Kansas City on Sunday.

Missouri has emerged as one of the preferred World Cup base locations, with reigning champions Argentina, as well as the Netherlands and Algeria, also based in the Kansas City area during the tournament.

Tuchel's side have already completed a series of warm-up matches in the United States as they adapted to local conditions ahead of the competition.

England defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in Orlando on Wednesday, with captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice all featuring in the victory despite the match being delayed by heavy rain.

The Three Lions also recorded a 6-0 win over local side Miami United FC in a behind-closed-doors friendly, with Ivan Toney scoring a hat-trick while Jordan Henderson, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri also found the net.

England are expected to shift their full focus to preparations for Croatia following their arrival at the World Cup training base, with the recovery of the stolen equipment removing a potential distraction ahead of the tournament.

England will play Ghana in their second group game (Group L) on June 23 before the final match against Panama four days later.

Meanwhile on June 9, nine people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting nearby. Kansas City police had said there were no suspects in custody, with no updates since.

The incident occurred roughly 6.4km away from where England are set to train at the Swope Soccer Village.

Gun violence is common in the United States, where there were more than 400 mass shootings in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive.