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The Mexican military intercepted a drone that was flying over the South Korean national soccer team’s training camp ahead of its World Cup match against Mexico on Wednesday.
South Korea and Mexico are both 1-0 and will be facing off for the lead in Group A.
The Mexican forces used specialized equipment to detect an “unregistered drone” near the South Korean camp, prompting them to “neutralize” it, a Mexican federal agent told The Associated Press. 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 “unfortunate.”
“Yesterday (Tuesday), during our training, there was a drone in the sky that we came to know about the fact,” Hong said through a translator. “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 Mexican operation was part of a security plan involving military and local police forces for the soccer tournament, which kicked off last week in Mexico City and is being co-hosted by the United States and Canada through July 19.
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.
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In Canada, 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 — the date of the last game scheduled to be staged in the country.
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, 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’s team — the reigning Olympic champions from the Tokyo Games — was deducted six points from its group standings in France.
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Canada Soccer later determined that the incident was not an isolated error but part of a pattern of insufficient oversight within the national teams.
Mexico won its opening Group A match at the World Cup on Thursday while South Korea beat the Czech Republic later that same day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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