Mexican Military Took Down a Drone Near South Korea’s World Cup Camp and the Timing Was Suspicious

Mexican military forces shot down an unregistered drone flying near the South Korean national team’s training base ahead of their World Cup group stage matchup. The incident, which a federal official confirmed to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, involved specialized equipment to detect and neutralize the drone before it could get close enough to capture anything useful.

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo called the whole thing “unfortunate.” He told reporters the drone appeared in the sky during Tuesday’s training session but got taken care of before the team started working on tactical drills. That part matters. Because the timing suggests someone might have been trying to get a look at South Korea’s game plan before Thursday’s clash with Mexico.

Both teams came into this match with wins in their opening games. Mexico beat South Africa 2-0. South Korea handled business against their opponent too. So first place in Group A is on the line, and the stakes are high enough that a drone showing up near a closed training session raises real questions.

What the military is saying

The federal official didn’t say exactly when the drone was intercepted or whether anyone got arrested. He did mention that several drones have been neutralized in recent days around security zones in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey — the three host cities. That includes areas near stadiums, team base camps, and fan festivals.

Mexico rolled out a massive security operation back in March called “Plan Kukulkán.” It involves roughly 100,000 military and police personnel spread across federal and local agencies. The plan covers early warning systems, stadium security, protection for teams and officials, and monitoring of airports, roads, and hotels.

This isn’t the first drone drama at a major tournament

Canada already banned unauthorized drones from flying over World Cup stadiums and training sites in Vancouver and Toronto. That decision came after the Canadian women’s national team got caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training session before the Paris Olympics in 2024. That scandal led to suspensions for two coaching staff members and head coach Bev Priestman, who was later fired. Canada also got docked six points in group standings.

So drones near training camps are a real thing now. Whether this one was just some random hobbyist or someone with a specific target in mind, the Mexican military didn’t take chances. And South Korea’s coach made it clear the timing couldn’t have been worse — or more suspicious, depending on how you look at it.