England players wowed by Kansas City fans who attended World Cup practice
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- About 600 people attended England's open World Cup training session.
- All 27 players took part in a light training session and later signed autographs.
- England recovered stolen equipment by Saturday morning, including Henderson's cleats.
England’s World Cup team received a loud cheer from fans on Saturday afternoon as the players ran onto Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village.
With lofty expectations, England hopes the name of the pitch is an indication of what it will experience at the World Cup: Victory.
With the St. George’s Cross flag flapping in the wind behind them, all 27 English players took the field for the first time since their World Cup roster was announced. They took part in the light training session, which was a showcase for the local fans who braved hot and humid conditions.
England arrived in Kansas City on Saturday morning after flying from their pre-World Cup base in Florida. Dan Ashworth, the chief football officer for The Football Association (FA), and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas were among the 600 or so in attendance at Swope Park on Saturday. There were 150 media members on hand, too.
Following the one-hour workout, the players signed autographs, mostly for the kids. The first to greet the fans was star forward Harry Kane of Bayern Munich.
Nico O’Reilly, a defender for powerhouse Manchester City, was impressed with the turnout.
“I was a bit surprised, really,” O’Reilly said. “I didn’t know it was going to be an open session like this until we got here. The fans have been amazing, very loud and cheered us on. They’ve been great.”
Also great: Goalkeeper Dean Henderson got his cleats back. Late Friday, there were reports that some of England’s equipment had been stolen while being driven to Kansas City. By Saturday morning, the gear had been recovered.
One of the team’s press officers said the matter was resolved quickly and didn’t impact the team.
Henderson was asked if his boots (aka cleats) were among the stolen items.
“I think so,” he said, "but I got them back so it’s all good.”
That sentiment summed up the day for England, which is ranked fourth in the world by FIFA, and has made the past two European Championship finals.
“Yeah, it’s fantastic,” Henderson said. “The welcome we got when we got to base camp was phenomenal. It’s so nice, obviously. Home from home, I think it’s important that we have that feel around the camp, get settled, and yeah, it’s good.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 8:36 PM.
