Did They Try to Spy on Tactics?... 'Illegal Drone' Appears at Hong Myung-bo's Training Ground, Shot Down by Mexican Military

Korea Football Association Requests Cooperation from FIFA to Prevent Recurrence

"Incident Ended During Warm-up Phase... No Impact on Tactical Exposure"

During a closed training session led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national football team experienced a disturbance when an illegal drone appeared over the training ground. Fortunately, thanks to the swift response of on-site personnel, the training was completed as planned without any exposure of tactics or other damages.

Illegal Drone Disrupts Hong Myung-bo’s Closed Training Session

On the 15th (local time), Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, which is preparing for the second match against Mexico in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, watched the team training at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan near Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on June 17, the national team held a closed training session for about one hour and thirty minutes at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan near Guadalajara, Mexico, as they prepared for the second Group A match against Mexico in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. While the previous day's training had been open to the public for about 15 minutes, the team restricted access to the training ground two days before the match.

However, early in the session, as the players were warming up, an illegal drone appeared above the training ground. A security officer from the national team responded immediately, and a Mexican military drone jamming officer stationed at the base camp on site emitted a signal to bring down the drone.

After the drone crashed, the team's security officer, along with local police and military personnel, moved to the crash site to secure the device. However, it was reported that two men, believed to be the drone operators, retrieved the drone and fled the scene. Their escape was captured on video by the team’s media crew, but their exact nationality and identities have not yet been confirmed.

"No Impact on Team Tactics Exposure"

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, ahead of the second match against Mexico in the 2026 North American World Cup, is seen deep in thought while watching the team’s training on the 15th (local time) at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan near Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The FIFA security officer assigned to the squad requested an investigation by the Mexican police, and the Korea Football Association also reported the incident to FIFA and requested cooperation to prevent a recurrence. As of now, there have been no updates from the police investigation or any additional statements from FIFA.

A representative of the national team stated, “The situation was resolved during the warm-up phase, before tactical training had begun, so there was no impact on the exposure of the team’s tactics.” The official added, “It is not yet clear whether the intent was to gather information on our team, if it was a foreign media outlet, or just an ordinary civilian.” After the situation was resolved, all 28 players completed the training as scheduled.

Meanwhile, South Korea will face Mexico in their second group stage match at Guadalajara Stadium at 10 a.m. on June 19. Both South Korea and Mexico won their first matches and currently rank first and second in Group A; the result of this match is likely to determine the group leader.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.