Mexican authorities brought down a drone near South Korea’s training field in metropolitan Guadalajara on Tuesday, two days before Thursday night’s important Group A clash between Mexico and the “Taegeuk Warriors.”
Military forces used specialized equipment to detect and then “neutralize” an “unregistered drone” near the Koreans’ Tuesday workout at the training complex of CD Guadalajara (aka Chivas), a Mexican federal agent said, according to the Associated Press.
“bit of controversy a drone appeared above the training session they did immediately notify the authorities fifa said they’re investigating but that didn’t seem to affect the south koreans today as usual they look in good spirits lot of laughing a lot of cheering as you can see” pic.twitter.com/6QKi4cBtEO
— ⚽️©౨ৎ🏆 (@librarygreenie) June 18, 2026
The drone was spotted by South Korea staff and brought to a controlled landing outside the complex in the Verde Valle neighborhood of metropolitan Guadalajara.
It wasn’t clear if the drone was trying to spy on the South Korean team ahead of Thursday’s 7 p.m. local time match at Estadio Guadalajara, FIFA’s name for Chivas’ home stadium in Zapopan, a city of about 1.25 million in the greater Guadalajara metropolitan area.
Control of Group A will be on the line, with both Mexico and the Taegeuk Warriors on three points heading into their second of three group-stage matches. Each group’s top two finishers automatically advance to the knockout round.
Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over South Africa last Thursday in Mexico City, while South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 later that same day at Estadio Guadalajara.
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said the drone appeared Tuesday just as the team was about to move from warmups into tactical work.
“During our training, there was a drone in the sky that we came to know about,” Hong said through a translator. “But fortunately, it was right before we practiced our tactics, so it did not impact us.”
Later, he said, “It didn’t affect us. I do consider it regrettable, though.”
No arrests had been announced as of Wednesday morning, and the identities of two men reportedly seen operating the device have not been made public.
Mexican officials said the interception is part of “Plan Kukulkán,” a World Cup security operation deploying about 100,000 military, police and private security personnel, according to officials.
The operation includes early warning systems, tight perimeters and no-fly zones around stadiums, airports, hotels, training bases and fan festivals. Authorities said several drones have been blocked over such venues in recent days.
The Korean Football Association (KFA) lodged complaints with Mexican authorities and FIFA, treating the flyover as a serious breach of privacy on the eve of such a crucial game.
The incident hit as the squad was already dealing with tensions over its own press, after recorded comments by South Korean journalists questioning the reputation of captain Son Heung-min were leaked.
Son, 33, is one of Asia’s most accomplished scorers, a veteran of four World Cups and a Tottenham Hotspur superstar for a decade in the English Premier League before joining Major League Soccer’s LAFC last year.
According to multiple accounts, footage captured unidentified media personnel joking about Son’s exemption from mandatory military service (based on sporting achievement) and mocking the way he ran drills. The audio, recorded by broadcaster JTBC at a team training session, later aired in Korea.
The KFA said it “regretted” the “inappropriate remarks” and that the leak itself caused “great shock and disappointment” within the team. In response, players skipped interviews and limited their media access to only what FIFA required.
Meanwhile, the tone away from the training ground has been far more upbeat, as Guadalajara has hosted scenes of Mexican and South Korean fans embracing, trading chants and bonding over K-pop.
The fans have united through choreographed dance routines all over the city, with a massive “Gangnam Style” dance party scheduled for halftime of Thursday night´s match at the FIFA Fan Festival downtown.
With reports from SDP Noticias, La Jornada, Associated Press and El País
