Korea coach voices regret over drone incident

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of Korean national football team, attends a press conference before team's Group A match against Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadia Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo on Wednesday voiced his regret over a recent appearance of a drone at his team's FIFA World Cup training site during a session being held behind closed doors.

Hong ran a 90-minute session without any media at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, western Mexico, on Tuesday, two days before Korea's Group A match against Mexico. During the World Cup, teams are typically afforded one day to train behind closed doors, and Hong picked Tuesday to work on his tactics without prying eyes.

While the players were warming up at the start of the session, a national team security official spotted a drone above the training ground. The official notified the Mexican military forces on duty at Chivas Verde Valle, and they intercepted the drone and brought it down.

According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), two men believed to be the operators picked up their drone and fled the scene before the Mexican authorities could catch them. The KFA has asked the local police to investigate the situation and also notified FIFA of the incident.

"I learned of the drone incident during our training session yesterday. Fortunately, it was before we began our tactical work, and so we weren't really affected," Hong said during his prematch press conference Wednesday at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan. "It is regrettable that something like that happened at such a critical juncture during our preparation for the match."

Citing an anonymous Mexican federal official, the Associated Press reported that several drones have been neutralized in recent days after their attempts to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico and team base camps.