Police investigate theft of England equipment at World Cup, 2 people in custody

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two people were detained in connection with the theft of equipment from the England national team's vehicles during a move from its pre-training base in Florida to Kansas City, where the Three Lions will have their permanent World Cup base camp.

The English Football Association confirmed the theft to The Associated Press on Saturday but did not provide more information due to the ongoing police investigation. Authorities said the incident took place at some point Friday night.

Sgt. Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department confirmed two people were taken into custody. Authorities also said that most of the missing gear — none of it essential to the team's preparations — had been recovered.

“Yesterday, officials in Kansas City learned at some point between their over-the-road transport from Florida to their arrival at the training facility in Kansas City, goods belonging to the English national team were stolen,” said Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, who has become the city's de facto spokesperson for World Cup activities.

“Public safety officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to trace where in the United States the items were seized and all the individuals who may have been involved," Lucas said.

England's charter jet arrived in Kansas City shortly around noon Saturday, and the team was greeted at its upscale boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas, by the drum corps, cheerleaders and mascot of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

After checking into the hotel, The Three Lions headed to an open training session at Swope Soccer Village, where MLS club Sporting Kansas City once trained, and where its second-division team and academy programs are still based. The England flag was flying above the complex, and a large sign stated that it was “The Home of England.”

Hundreds of fans and dozens of reporters greeted the team on a hot, humid afternoon for the community training session.

Even though England does not play group games in Kansas City, it made its base there due to its central location. Its opening game against Croatia on Wednesday in Dallas is only about a 90-minute flight, matches against Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are about three hours away, while the West Coast is easily reachable for potential knockout games.

Defending champion Argentina and the Netherlands also are based in Kansas City. Algeria is in neighboring Lawrence, Kansas.

James Robson reported from Atlanta. He is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

England's national team arrive for the World Cup soccer tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

England's national team arrive for the World Cup soccer tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

England's Harry Kane, center, jogs with teammates including Jordan Henderson, second left, during a training for the national soccer team in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,Tuesday, June 9, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England's Jude Bellingham, center, works out with teammates during a training for the national soccer team in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Tuesday, June 9, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England's Harry Kane, center, and Jordan Henderson, left, jog with teammates during a training for the national soccer team in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,Tuesday, June 9, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jayne Kamin-Oncea been an Associated Press freelance photographer in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. She began her photo career as an AP stringer in Miami in 1978 while at the University of Miami. She also spent 27 years working with the Los Angeles Times.

The US-Paraguay match Friday was the first match of the 2026 World Cup in the United States and you could feel the emotions throughout the stadium. Alex Freeman and the other US players say they were focused from the start. During any match, players regularly battle along the sidelines and I look for photos that show players appearing to balance on a tightrope near the edge of the out-of-bounds line as they’re trying to keep the ball in play. As I was shooting, I knew it was turning into a nice photo with intensity. The frame showing Freeman airborne above Antonio Sanabria's head and shoulders could also be viewed as an illustration of the US dominance over Paraguay.

I shot with Nikon Z9 and 400 2.8. The play was WAY downfield, so I hit the crop sensor button. A lot of photographers don’t like the light at SoFi but I love it because my camera set up loves it! I have my camera set on 30FPS with the pre-release at one-third of a second. I always shoot at a very high shutter speed to limit any motion blur. 4000th of a second and just adjust the ISO with the changing light.

The composition of the image stands out, especially how high Freeman jumps of Paraguay’s Sanabria and kicks his leg up high. From the time the moment the play started the photos actually got better in the final frames.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

United States' Alex Freeman, top, reaches for the ball over Paraguay's Antonio Sanabria during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)