South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo called the sight of a drone flying over a closed training session in Guadalajara ahead of the team's World Cup clash with Mexico "unfortunate."
Mexican military forces intercepted and brought down a drone that flew near the South Korean national team's training camp, a federal official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
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Military forces used specialized equipment to detect an "unregistered drone," prompting them to "neutralize" it, a Mexican federal agent said speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.
South Korea will face off with tournament co-host Mexico on Thursday as both teams look to secure a place in the knockout phase.
"So yesterday, during our training, there was a drone in the sky and we came to know about the fact," Hong said at a news conference Wednesday. "But fortunately, it was right before we practiced our tactics. So it did not impact us significantly.
"But while we were preparing for the match, that was the most important timing. So what happened was unfortunate."
The 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 held across Mexico, the United States and Canada through July 19.
The official did not say when the incident occurred or whether any arrests were made. He said only that several drones had been neutralized in recent days after attempting to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey -- the tournament's three host cities in Mexico -- as well as team base camps and fan festivals.
In March, Mexican authorities announced a World Cup security plan 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.
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.
In 2024, the Canadian women's national team was accused of using a drone to allegedly 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 champions from the Tokyo Games -- was deducted six points from its group standings in France.
Canada Soccer later determined that the incident was not an isolated error but part of a pattern of insufficient oversight within the national teams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.