Skip to main content

Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

More than 600 drones have been seized flying near World Cup venues across the US since the tournament kicked off, federal authorities say.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: The FAA imposed temporary flight restrictions around all 11 US host stadiums and related fan sites, barring drones within three nautical miles and up to 3,000 feet on match days, with tighter one-mile zones around fan festivals. The limits kick in three hours before and after each game. Anyone caught breaking them can be slapped with civil penalties as high as $75,000, criminal fines reaching $100,000, a possible year behind bars, and the loss of their drone. The FBI has also stationed counter-drone teams at stadiums, using RF detection, radar and other tools to track and intercept unauthorized aircraft.

Screenshot 2026 06 03 at 12.48.30

What’s going on now: The TSA released the 600-plus figure Monday, and per the FBI, no host city has been spared, with drones pulled from restricted airspace in all of them since the tournament began in mid-June.

“Due to unprecedented law enforcement coordination, the FBI and our DHS partners have seized over 600 drones from restricted airspace across all 11 U.S. host cities since the start of the FIFA World Cup tournament,” the FBI wrote on X.

Miami has led the count by a wide margin, followed by cities including Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. The scale marks a massive jump from earlier in the tournament, when the FBI had reported seizing around 15 drones in the opening days and just over 300 by June 23, a sign that operators largely ignored the repeated warnings.

Arrests have followed the seizures. Among those arrested, a 40-year-old man from Mexico caught federal charges last week after allegedly sending a drone into the no-fly zone around the Dallas stadium before a match, and other operators have been hit with charges tied to unregistered aircraft and flying without proper certification.

The crackdown is part of a sprawling security operation around the tournament, which FEMA has backed with $625 million for security and emergency preparedness. The final, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, is the only match designated a national special security event, triggering a Secret Service-led operation with hardened perimeters, magnetometer screening and continuous counter-terrorism monitoring.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Keep up to date with our latest videos, news and content