England suffer serious World Cup setback as they are victims of heist

England are among the favourites for the World Cup this summer due to the quality of their squad and their manager; however, they have suffered a setback ahead of their opening game of the tournament in the form of a heist.

Thomas Tuchel and his squad had made the perfect start to life in the USA ahead of the competition as they secured victories over both New Zealand and Costa Rica.

The Three Lions are in the final group of the World Cup and will be among the final teams to get their tournament started, with their first game on Wednesday against Croatia.

It will not be an easy task for the English who lost to Croatia in the 2018 semi-final of the competition, with the former Yugoslav nation finishing third in the 2022 World Cup.

England secured a dominant 3-0 win over Costa Rica in Orlando (Image: Getty)

Now, it has been reported in the Daily Mail that their task has not been made easier as their preparation may have been disrupted following a heist which has seen some of their equipment stolen.

According to this report, it has been stated boots belonging to the team’s biggest stars were pinched along with official tournament balls and key training equipment.

It is believed the theft took place while the equipment was en route from West Palm Beach in Florida to England’s Swope Soccer Village base in Missouri, where they will be based for the next three weeks at least.

Tuchel’s squad were set to train on Saturday afternoon, but now staff are trying to work out what has been taken and what equipment they still have available to them.

While this will be a concern for the England squad, they will look to put this to the back of their minds as they prepare for their important opener as the FA liaises with local police to attempt to recover the stolen goods.

Thomas Tuchel

Football fans will be aware this is not the first time England and theft are linked at a World Cup, as famously the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen while in the nation during the 1966 tournament.

However, thanks to a heroic dog named Pickles, who was on a walk in the Beulah Hill district of southeast London with his owner, David Corbett, they came across the trophy wrapped in an old newspaper.

They would deliver the trophy to the police station, and Pickles would forever be remembered as a World Cup hero.