2026 World Cup: Two accused of equipment theft in England as most of stolen equipment recovered

Members of the England national team train for the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City. (AP photo) England’s World Cup preparations have received a major boost after two men were accused of stealing equipment belonging to the Three Lions, with authorities recovering most of the missing items ahead of the team’s campaign in the United States.Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, charged Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, both of San Antonio, Texas, with one felony count of receiving stolen property. The Class D felony carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, with bail set at $75,000 for both men.The theft occurred as England’s equipment was being transported from the team’s pre-training base in Florida to their permanent World Cup camp in Kansas City.

The charges have been brought as the investigation is moving quickly

Jackson County District Attorney Melesa Johnson vowed to crack down on crimes targeting World Cup visitors and participants.“Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets visitors to the World Cup, including the international teams that come here to compete,” Johnson said.Authorities estimated the value of the stolen property at about $18,000. Fortunately for England, none of the missing items were essential to the team’s preparation.Investigators recovered a number of items from the suspects, including nine pairs of soccer cleats, goalie gloves, a World Cup ball, several sets of t-shirts and shorts, electronic devices, stuffed animals, signed England jerseys and even a $99.99 Lego set of Nike Air cleats, according to an AP report.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas praised law enforcement’s quick work.“I am grateful for the quick work of the Kansas City Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office in resolving a multi-state investigation to help crime victims recover goods stolen in transit,” Lucas said.

England set up base in Kansas City

Despite the off-field scare, England’s arrival in Kansas City went smoothly.The three Lions were greeted at their Prairie Village hotel by the Kansas City Chiefs drum corps, cheerleaders and mascot before heading to Swope Soccer Village for open practice.The meeting was attended by hundreds of supporters and members of the media, while English flags flew over the complex, bearing a sign proclaiming it to be “England’s Home”.Although England will play their group stage matches in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey, they chose Kansas City as their headquarters because of its central location.Thomas Tuchel’s side open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday and can now fully focus on football after an embarrassing theft saga ended in a breakthrough for investigators.