New Delhi: The US authorities have seized more than 600 drones at 11 American cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches since the start of the tournament. Areas around the stadium and fan festivals have been declared as “no-fly zones.”
“Due to unprecedented law enforcement coordination, this FBI and our DHS (Department of Homeland Security) 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 said in a statement.
In Dallas, the AT&T Stadium — known as the Dallas Stadium during the World Cup — has witnessed more than 70 drones being seized by authorities. Most recently, a Mexican national, Cristobal Torres Alvarez, has been charged with operating an alleged drone near the Dallas Stadium without proper authorisation. If convicted, Alvarez faces up to three years in prison.
Brett Skiles, the Special Agent in charge of the Miami field office of the FBI, made it clear that flying drones near World Cup stadiums, official fan festivals and other events related to the tournament “is not just dangerous, but also a federal crime.”
The FBI has come down heavily against individuals flying drones near venues. The FBI Atlanta office released an almost minute-long video showcasing its seizures and arrests of individuals flying drones near the World Cup venue. By 18 June — a week after the tournament began — the Atlanta office had seized at least 26 drones.
For the duration of the World Cup, all 11 American stadiums – including the MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey), AT&T Stadium (Dallas), SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles), Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City), Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco), NRG Stadium (Houston), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Lumen Field (Seattle), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), and Gillette Stadium (Boston) – are all no-fly zones during the the World Cup.
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Strict punishment
For the duration of the tournament, the rules are clear, with all drones and aircraft operations around stadiums prohibited within a three-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level, unless otherwise authorised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The rules have also led to the FAA taking action against drone operators who are seeking to capture images not related to the World Cup.
John Alexander Meza, a Texas resident, was charged with illegally operating a drone in Houston, as he was attempting to capture images of a church. However, the drone flew too close to the stadium.
Drones seized across the 11 cities have been quite high. According to media reports, the FBI and associated agencies have seized 48 drones in Los Angeles, 98 in Miami, 29 in Seattle, more than 70 in Dallas, 77 in Atlanta, 40 in New York City, nine in Newark, 33 in Houston, 32 in Kansas City and 56 in Philadelphia.
Punishments in the US for flying a drone without authorisation include fines up to $100,000, confiscation and seizure of drones, loss of remote pilot licenses and federal criminal charges that could lead to imprisonment.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)