Mexican Military Drops Drone Near South Korean Training Camp in 'Unfortunate' Incident
June 26, 2026 · Global
Mexico's military has successfully brought down a drone flying near South Korea's training camp before their World Cup match.
Mexico's military managed to intercept and take down a drone flying near South Korea's training camp ahead of the team's World Cup meeting with Mexico. The armed forces used special equipment to detect “unregistered drones” near the team's base camp and “neutralize them,” according to a federal official who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press. The two teams will meet in Group A on Thursday (2am BST on Friday). It was not clear whether the drones were intended to scout South Korean training ahead of the meeting. Hosts Mexico and South Korea both won their opening matches at the World Cup and are currently in first and second place respectively in Group A after the first day of play. South Korea's coach, Hong Myung-bo, called the incident "unfortunate". He said: "Yesterday (Tuesday), during our training, there was a drone in the sky that we were aware of. "But fortunately, it was just before we were practicing our tactics, so it didn't impact us. However, when we are preparing for the game, that is the most important time, so what happened was very unfortunate." The federal official did not say when the incident occurred or whether any arrests were made. He said only that several drones had been neutralized in recent days after trying to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — the tournament's three host cities in Mexico — as well as team camps and fan festivals. In March, Mexican authorities announced a World Cup security operation known as the “Kukulkán Plan,” involving approximately 100,000 personnel from the military and federal and local police. The plan includes early warning systems, security measures at stadiums, airports, roads and hotels, as well as protection protocols for teams, officials and fans. In Canada, authorities have banned unauthorized drones from flying over World Cup stadiums and some training sites in Vancouver and Toronto as a security measure Canada's coaching staff and head coach Bev Priestman, who was later fired, while the team had six points deducted from their group standings.