More than 1,000 drones detected since start of World Cup: FBI

LEESBURG, United States: As the World Cup hits the halfway mark, more than 1,000 drones have been detected near stadiums and over 300 of them neutralized by authorities, the White House’s tournament czar said Monday.

As of Sunday night, “there have been 1,139 drone detections so far at World Cup, World Cup related sites with over 300 mitigations at this point,” Andrew Giuliani said at the FBI-organized International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC) near Washington.

The drones were neutralized without force, Giuliani said, without explaining how.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also “seized over 500 of those drones, to process as evidence in FBI investigations,” Doug Olson, the FBI’s special agent responsible for coordination around the 2026 World Cup.

The United States has made counter-drone operations a centerpiece of its efforts to secure the 48-team tournament, which it is co-hosting with neighboring Mexico and Canada, dedicating several hundred million dollars to the effort.

Local authorities’ abilities have been expanded to jam and intercept these devices, and dozens of local police officers serving in the 11 US host cities have received specialized training at an FBI training center.

In mid-June, the FBI said it had foiled a planned attack targeting the mixed martial arts fight night held at the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

The plot apparently involved launching drones loaded with explosives in the surrounding area.

During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, French authorities detected more than 350 drone incursions, leading to 81 arrests, according to a report by the National Assembly.