GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) 鈥� Mexican military forces intercepted and brought down a drone that flew near the South Korean national soccer team鈥檚 training camp ahead of its match against Mexico, a federal official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Military forces used specialized equipment to detect an 鈥渦nregistered drone鈥� near the South Korean camp, prompting them to 鈥渘eutralize鈥� it, the Mexican federal agent said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.
Co-host at the World Cup on Thursday while later that same day. It wasn’t clear if the drone was trying to spy on the South Korean team ahead of Thursday’s match between the teams.
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo called the incident 鈥渦nfortunate.鈥�
鈥淵esterday (Tuesday), during our training, there was a drone in the sky that we came to know about the fact,鈥� Hong said through a translator. 鈥淏ut fortunately, it was right before we practiced our tactics, so it did not impact us. But while we were preparing for the match, that was the most important timing, so what happened was unfortunate.鈥�
The Mexican operation was part of a security plan involving military and local police forces for the soccer tournament, which and is being co-hosted by the United States and Canada through July 19.
The 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 attempting to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey 鈥� the tournament鈥檚 three host cities in Mexico 鈥� as well as team base camps and fan festivals.
In March, Mexican authorities announced a World Cup security operation known as 鈥淧lan Kukulk谩n,鈥� involving about 100,000 personnel from federal and local military and police forces. The plan includes early warning systems, security measures at stadiums, airports, roads and hotels, and protection protocols for teams, officials and fans.
In , authorities have banned unauthorized drones from flying over World Cup stadiums and several training sites in Vancouver and Toronto as a security measure. The restrictions remain in effect until July 7 鈥� the date of the last game scheduled to be staged in the country.
In 2024, the Canadian women鈥檚 national team was accused of using a drone in the days leading up to their opening match at the Paris Olympics, triggering a spying scandal that led to sanctions against Canada.
The scandal led to the suspension of two coaching staff members and head coach Bev Priestman, who was subsequently dismissed by Canada Soccer. The Canadian women鈥檚 team 鈥� the reigning Olympic champions from the Tokyo Games 鈥� was deducted six points from its group standings in France.
Canada Soccer later determined that the incident was not an isolated error but part of a pattern of insufficient oversight within the national teams.
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S谩nchez reported from Mexico City. AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Vancouver contributed to this report.
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