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.
Asian Cup holders Qatar level in injury time to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in World Cup 2026 opening game.Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalising goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw in Group B of the World Cup.Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground on Saturday in celebration of the late goal, as others ran to each other to embrace.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ten observations after attending a World Cup match in the USlist 2 of 4Keepy-up cop wows fans with football skills at World Cup event in Bostonlist 3 of 4England training equipment stolen ahead of squad’s arrival in Kansas Citylist 4 of 4Oval Office octagon: How Trump turned combat sports into a political weaponend of listBreel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the US following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalise on multiple other scoring chances.In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again.When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands of Levi’s Stadium.The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team’s flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalised in April.Switzerland dominated the possession game on an unseasonably warm June afternoon — with sprinklers running during a first-half break.Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi scores their first goal past Switzerland’s Gregor Kobel [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at the Copa America. The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a save in the second minute after Edmilson Junior got through the defence for a one-on-one. Kobel corralled the ball again in the 90th on a close-range attempt by Ahmed Alaaeldin.Switzerland is hoping to advance further than its round-of-16 showing four years ago before losing 6-1 to Portugal — when Goncalo Ramos delivered an improbable hat-trick playing in place of benched star Cristiano Ronaldo. The loss prompted Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to apologize the the fans.The Swiss used consistency and experience to go unbeaten through qualifying against Sweden, Kosovo and Slovenia. Coach Murat Yakin’s team produced four wins and two draws to secure its sixth straight World Cup appearance and hasn’t missed one since 2002, but the team has never gotten beyond the quarterfinals.Qatar, led by Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, had to qualify through a playoff in November — beating the United Arab Emirates and Oman — after missing an opportunity from its group stage of Asian qualifying.The Gulf state country became the first host nation to lose all of its group matches four years ago. It lost to Senegal, Ecuador and the Netherlands in the 2022 tournament, scoring its lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Senegal.
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.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
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Rebecca Blackwell/AP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two people have been detained in connection with the theft of equipment from the England national team's vehicles during their move from a 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 could 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 that two people had been taken into custody.
"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.
Even though England does not play group games in Kansas City, it made the Midwestern city its base due to its central location. Its opening game against Croatia on Wednesday in outside Dallas is only about a 90-minute flight, matches against Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are no more than three hours away, and 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.
The Three Lions are training at Swope Soccer Village, where MLS club Sporting Kansas City once trained and where its second-division team and academy programs are based. The England flag is already flying there and a sign reads, "The Home of England."
For its accommodations, the English have taken over a boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas.
England was scheduled to conduct its first open training session at Swope Soccer Village later Saturday, though the threat of storms could cause problems. The session was due to be open to the media and select members of the community.
James Robson reported from Atlanta.
Police investigate theft of England equipment at World Cup, 2 people in custody NPR
Police Investigate Possible Theft of England Gear at World Cup, 2 People In Custody Bleacher Report
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