South Korea had to suffer a defeat against the host Mexico with a score of 0-1 in the second match of Group A of the 2026 World Cup, Friday, June 19, 2026 WIB.
There is a debate that arises whether the defeat was caused by someone spying on South Korea or not. This is related to the appearance of drones when South Korea held a closed training in Guadalajara ahead of the match against Mexico.
South Korean coach Hong Myung-bo said the drone that flew was then intercepted and shot down by Mexican military forces at a training camp.
Launching Associated Press, a Mexican federal official said the military used special equipment to detect unregistered drones, which prompted them to neutralize them.
It is not clear whether the drone was intended to spy on South Korea's tactics or not. Hong Myung-bo was reluctant to make the drone problem an excuse for defeat.
"So, yesterday, during our training, there was a drone in the sky and we learned the fact. However, fortunately, it happened just before we practiced tactics. So, it didn't have a significant impact on us."
"However, when we prepare for the match, it is the most important time. So, what happened is really unfortunate," said Hong.
The operation is part of a security plan involving local military and police forces for the 2026 World Cup, which began last week in Mexico City and is held across Mexico, the United States and Canada until July 19, 2026.
The anonymous official who provided the report to the Associated Press did not say when the incident occurred or whether any arrests were made.
He only said that several drones had been neutralized in recent days after trying to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey - the three host cities of the tournament in Mexico - as well as team base camps and fan festivals.
In March 2026, Mexican authorities announced a 2026 World Cup security plan known as the Kukulkan Plan, which involves about 100,000 personnel from the military forces as well as federal and local police.
The plan includes early warning systems, security measures at stadiums, airports, highways, and hotels, as well as protection protocols for teams, officials, and fans.
In Canada, authorities have banned unauthorized drones from flying over the 2026 World Cup stadiums and several training locations in Vancouver and Toronto as a security measure. The restrictions remain in place until July 7, 2026.
In 2024, the Canadian Women's National Team was accused of using a drone to allegedly spy on a New Zealand training session days before the opening match at the Paris Olympics, sparking a spy scandal that led to sanctions against Canada.
The scandal led to the suspension of two members of the coaching staff and head coach Bev Priestman, who was later fired by the Canadian Soccer Federation (Canada Soccer). Canada's women's team - the 2020 Tokyo Olympics champions - were reduced by six points from their group standings in France.
Canada Soccer then determined that the incident was not an isolated error, but part of a pattern of inadequate oversight in the national team.
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