The England men’s national football team’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 have been overshadowed by the theft of approximately $18,000 (£13,500) worth of equipment from a vehicle transporting gear in the USA. Two individuals have since been charged in connection with the incident, which occurred as the team moved between training locations.
The theft took place as a vehicle carried equipment from England’s pre-tournament camp in Florida to Kansas City. Among the items stolen were high-value signed jerseys, football boots, and various training kit components. While the incident led to immediate police action, the Football Association confirmed that the team’s preparations for their World Cup opener remained unaffected.
High-value items targeted in transit
According to court documents seen by BBC Sport, the stolen property included a range of items, from personal gear to official team merchandise. The most significant losses in terms of value were three signed jerseys, collectively worth $15,000.
- A signed red jersey: $5,000
- Two white signed jerseys: $5,000 each
- Four pairs of boots: $1,340.60
- Five pairs of shoes: $1,139.50
- A World Cup ball: $214.50
- A pair of goalkeeper gloves: $160.87
- A JBL speaker: $149.95
- A Lego set of a Nike Air shoe: $99.99
Other items included four navy shirts, four pairs of navy shorts, four light blue long sleeve shirts, four light blue short sleeve shirts, two stuffed lions, and multifunctional power strips.
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Arrests made, felony charges filed
Following an investigation by the Kansas City Police Department, two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, have been charged in connection with the theft. Both individuals face one count of receiving stolen property, a class D felony under Missouri law. A conviction for a class D felony carries a potential prison sentence of one to seven years.
The majority of the stolen property has reportedly been recovered. Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson emphasized the authorities’ commitment to holding those responsible accountable. “Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete,” Johnson stated. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.”
Team remains focused on World Cup opener
Despite the disruption, the England squad appears unfazed, with defender Dan Burn indicating that the incident has not impacted their focus. “I’ve not lost anything personally, we found out from you guys [the media],” Burn told BBC Sport. “It’s with the police now so not sure how much I can comment. It’s not really been spoken about, so that just shows for us that they aren’t too worried about it – it’s not really disrupted our preparations.”
England is scheduled to play their first World Cup 2026 match against Croatia on Wednesday at 21:00 BST, with the team’s focus firmly on the upcoming tournament despite the off-field incident.
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Sources: www.bbc.com, www.bbc.co.uk
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