World Cup 2026 live: Fifa releases statement on empty seats and investigation into theft at England camp

England have suffered a theft of training equipment ahead of their arrival to their World Cup training base in Kansas City, with the team’s match boots, balls and training equipment stolen.

Local police are investigating the incident, which came as the team were in transit from their pre-tournament base in Florida to the Swope Soccer Village in Missouri, where England were due to arrive on Saturday.

“We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing. Two subjects of interest were taken into custody pending further investigation.”

England play their opening match of the tournament against Croatia in Dallas in Wednesday.

Mauricio Pochettino had spent the past few days summoning belief in what the USA might achieve in the face of scepticism. Can they win the World Cup, he was repeatedly asked, to which his stock response was: “Why not? We can dream.” After this hugely impressive 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles, perhaps Pochettino’s task now is to manage inflated expectations, to temper America’s wildest dreams.

Fifa has defended its attendance figures at South Korea’s opening-day win against the Czech Republic at the World Cup by insisting that some fans “stood in concourses rather than in their assigned seat.”

There were thousands of empty seats, in just the second match of the tournament, to further raise questions surrounding Fifa’s ticket prices for the world spectacle. South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2-1, in a gripping Group A contest in Guadalajara.

The World Cup 2026 is beginning to find its rhythm with the remaining co-hosts getting their campaigns underway on day two – 2,210 miles apart.

Canada battled back to draw 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto thanks to substitute Cyle Larin after a tepid opening ceremony and an angry reaction to the sight of their American head coach Jesse Marsch heartily singing the anthem.

After then it was the turn of the USA, the primary hosts of this tournament, who got their campaign underway with an emphatic 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay in Los Angeles.

Here is everything you need to know from day two of the super-sized tournament