The Mexican military intercepted and brought down a drone flying near the South Korean training camp ahead of the team’s World Cup clash with Mexico.
Military forces used specialist equipment to detect the “unregistered drone” near the team’s base camp and “neutralise” it, according to a federal official, speaking anonymously to Associated Press.
The two teams meet in Group A on Thursday (2am BST on Friday). It was not clear whether the drone was intended to spy on South Korea’s training ahead of that encounter.
Co-host Mexico and South Korea both won their opening matches at the World Cup and sit first and second respectively in Group A after the first matchday.
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo called the incident “unfortunate.”
He said: “Yesterday (Tuesday), during our training, there was a drone in the sky that we came to know about.
“But 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.”
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 attempting to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — the tournament’s three host cities in Mexico — as well as team base camps and fan festivals.
In March, Mexican authorities announced a World Cup security operation known as “Plan Kukulkán,” 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 Canada, authorities have banned unauthorised drones from flying over World Cup stadiums and several training sites in Vancouver and Toronto as a security measure.
In 2024, the Canadian women’s national team was accused of using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session in the days leading up to their opening match at the Paris Olympics.
It triggered a spying scandal that led to the suspension of two Canadian coaching staff members and head coach Bev Priestman, who has subsequently dismissed, while the team was deducted six points from its group standings.
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