England's World Cup preparations were thrown into chaos on Saturday night as a tornado siren sounded and a severe thunderstorm warning was issued in Kansas, where the team is based. The National Weather Service sent an 'imminent threat alert' warning of destructive winds reaching 80 mph and potentially deadly flying debris, urging people to take shelter away from windows.
Storm Disrupts Training and Fan Events
The England squad had arrived in Kansas City on Saturday and completed an afternoon training session without incident. However, the weather warning prompted the closure of the FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City, which shut its gates at 5 p.m. and remained closed for the rest of the day. A statement cited anticipated severe weather as the reason, emphasizing that public safety was the top priority.
TalkSPORT reported power outages across Kansas City and wider Missouri as the storm moved through. Social media posts showed the tornado siren blaring, with journalist Henry Winter tweeting: 'Tornado siren going off in Kansas City. We were watching the Scotland game. Satellite signal gone.'
Storm Weakens but Danger Remains
Later, the National Weather Service confirmed the storm had weakened below severe limits and was no longer capable of producing a tornado. However, gusty winds persisted, and a Tornado Watch remained in effect until 11 p.m. for west central Missouri. The warning was allowed to expire, but residents were advised to stay vigilant.
Previous Weather and Theft Issues
This is not the first weather-related disruption for England. Their friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday was delayed due to a storm in Orlando. Additionally, upon arrival in Kansas, the team faced a separate setback when training kit was stolen from a van. Two individuals were arrested, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas confirmed that local, state, and federal officials were investigating. The training gear was later recovered, and goalkeeper Dean Henderson downplayed the incident, saying: 'To be honest, I didn't really notice anything about it until you started saying. I believe all the boots came back, we got everything back, so nobody's bothered.'
England's World Cup campaign is set to begin soon, and the team will hope for calmer conditions both on and off the pitch.
