England suffer HUGE setback ahead of Croatia game in bizarre World Cup heist

England will kick off their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, USA, but their tournament has already undergone a hitch.

Thomas Tuchel’s men are the victims of an audacious World Cup heist, having had equipment thieved from them en-route to Kansas City.

According to a report from Daily Mail Sport, key belongings, including analysis equipment and Tuchel’s whiteboards, were taken from the travelling England squad — a bizarre setback ahead of their Group L World Cup 2026 opener.

Balls, boots and analysis equipment thieved from England ahead of World Cup 2026 opener against Croatia

England were robbed during a trip from West Palm Beach in Florida to their base in Missouri, where they will remain for the next three weeks at least.

According to the report, Thomas Tuchel’s men were robbed all the way down to just a solitary football, with key player belongings notably absent.

Harry Kane stood with Jude Bellingham of England during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifier between England and Latvia at Wembley Stadium. — Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham's boots have been robbed just days prior to England's World Cup opener. (Image credit: Getty Images)

There are fears that Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham’s boots were thieved during transit, and the FA are now liaising with local police to recover the inventory.

While England fans will certainly disagree that this is the first time the men’s national team have been robbed, it could be just as costly as certain on-the-pitch decisions.

England face off against Croatia this upcoming Wednesday, leaving little time to recover a selection of highly important items to Tuchel’s men.

Perhaps the most shocking and important of all: crucial inventory used for analysis and tactical purposes ahead of their World Cup opener are also gone.

The report does not offer insight into whether that equipment, including Tuchel’s whiteboards, contained information that could potentially scupper England’s tournament.

England manager Thomas Tuchel walking with a suitcase and a smile. — Thomas Tuchel's whiteboard and England's analysis equipment were also taken. (Image credit: Getty Images)

If it does, the travelling squad could face a drastic setback in their quest to deliver a World Cup trophy.

According to the report, security staff suspect that the drivers entrusted to deliver the inventory could be involved in the bizarre World Cup heist.

The FA were also approached for comment by Daily Mail Sport, but did not speak on the matter.

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Kedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC, he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television, you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.