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England’s World Cup preparations hit an unexpected obstacle on June 13 when training equipment, including personalized match boots, was stolen during the squad’s transit from Florida to Missouri. The theft occurred just four days before England’s opening match against Croatia on June 17.
The Football Association confirmed that items belonging to key players, including boots customized for Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, were among the stolen property. Most of the team’s training footballs were also taken, with reportedly only one ball remaining from the shipment.
What happened on the road from Florida
The squad had been conducting a pre-tournament training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida before relocating to Swope Soccer Village in Missouri ahead of the Croatia fixture. Somewhere along that journey, the equipment went missing.
The FA is now coordinating with local law enforcement in an effort to retrieve the stolen goods. Simultaneously, the organization is working to source urgent replacements so training schedules aren’t disrupted any further than necessary.
The logistics of a World Cup heist
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being hosted across the US, Mexico, and Canada, meaning teams are covering significant distances between training bases and match venues. The journey from West Palm Beach to the Kansas City area, where Swope Soccer Village is located, covers roughly 1,300 miles. Whether the theft occurred at a transit stop, from a vehicle, or at some other point along the route hasn’t been publicly clarified. Law enforcement is investigating.
England’s choice of West Palm Beach as a pre-camp location was designed to help the squad acclimatize to the heat and humidity they’ll face at various US venues this summer.
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