South Korea's World Cup Preparation Disrupted by Drone

2026 World Cup Key News

(Central News Guadalajara 17th comprehensive foreign wire report) South Korean national team head coach Hong Myung-bo today expressed regret that a drone was hovering over the South Korean team's training field just before their highly anticipated match against one of the World Cup host nations, Mexico.

Agence France-Presse reported that South Korea and Mexico will face each other tomorrow in Guadalajara (Guadalajara), and the winner of this match will almost certainly guarantee advancement to the knockout stage and have an advantage in the A group standings. The same group also includes South Africa and the Czech Republic.

However, South Korea's preparation training yesterday was disrupted by this, and it also raised concerns about spy activities. Reports indicate that the drone was shot down by the Mexican military.

The head coach said, "Yesterday during our training, a drone appeared in the sky, and we immediately grasped this situation. However, fortunately, it was before we started our tactical drills, so the impact on us was not significant."

He frankly stated at the press conference, "But that was right in the middle of our preparation for the match, and the timing was very critical, so the occurrence of this incident is regrettable."

The Mexican federal authorities did not immediately respond to the request for comment. However, government officials in the host state of Jalisco (Jalisco) revealed to Agence France-Presse that they do not have an official record of this incident.

The host countries of this World Cup, Mexico and the United States, have already banned drones from flying over any stadiums or facilities where matches or related activities are held.

Hong Myung-bo stated that he expects the match against Mexico to be a tough one. He praised the opponent's midfield play for having "creativity" and told reporters that the cheering of the home team fans would play a role in the match.

He said, "We fully understand that this is a match against the home team, and we know that this will give the home team an advantage. But my players have all experienced such big stages in the past, so the situation tomorrow will be different. We must control the rhythm and fluidity of the match."

Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of this tournament last week, while South Korea overturned the Czech Republic 2-1 in a losing situation. (Edited by: Chen Yuting) 1150618

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