England have managed to recover most of its stolen equipment ahead of its World Cup opener against Croatia. | Photo Credit: AP

Prosecutors in Jackson County, Mo., have charged two Texas men with one felony count ​each of receiving stolen property after the ‌theft of equipment belonging to England’s football team at the FIFA World Cup.

The charged have been identified as Mustafa Salik, ⁠40, and Erfan Kamal, 36. The felony charge could result in a prison term of up ‌to seven years if they are convicted.

Bond was set at 75,000 dollars. They ‌remained held at the Jackson County ‌Detention Center ⁠as of Sunday morning.

“Jackson County will ⁠not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled ​here to compete,” Jackson ‌County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work in filing ‌charges immediately.”

The men are alleged to ​have stolen about 18,000 dollars worth of gear during the team’s relocation from a ⁠training site in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to its World Cup base camp in Kansas ‌City.

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The items were not part of the essentials needed for game day. KCUR in Kansas City reported the stolen gear included signed jerseys, clothing, cleats and two stuffed animals -- lions to refect the team’s ‌name, Three Lions.

Much of the gear has been ​returned to England.

Ranked No. 4 in the world, England chose Kansas ⁠City for a base camp for its central USA location.

The Three Lions’ Group L opener is on Wednesday against Croatia ‌in Arlington, Texas. England also will play Ghana on June 23 in Foxborough, Mass., ​and Panama on June 27 in East Rutherford, N.J.

Published on Jun 14, 2026