Bob Mackin
Police stopped a dozen drones on the day Egypt beat New Zealand in a FIFA World Cup match in Vancouver.
“On June 21, police counter‑drone teams were monitoring the airspace over B.C. Place, Fan Festival and the Killarney practice area,” said Vancouver Police Department’s Sgt. Adam Donaldson. “That day, 34 unauthorized drones were detected, with 137 unauthorized flights.”
Drone prohibition sign outside B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. (Mackin)
Twelve of the drones were stopped, but nobody has been fined. Only warnings, because many people are unaware of the restrictions, Donaldson said.
He refused to disclose how police stopped the unauthorized drones “for operational security reasons.” The VPD is working in partnership with the RCMP as part of the $242 million World Cup security operation.
The rules
“Drones of any size will not be permitted within designated no-fly zones around” B.C. Place, Fan Festival site PNE and training sites Killarney Park and University of B.C., warned the Vancouver Police Department before the World Cup. The no-fly zones are one-nautical mile radius each, from ground to 2,500 feet above sea level, through July 19.
Counter-drone technology
In Seattle, also a FIFA World Cup host city, King County Sheriff’s Office demonstrated its technology to local reporters. It bought three counter drone trailers with almost $12 million in grants from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
They can detect radio frequencies to find the pilot. They also have federal authority to take control of the drone electronically, to safely land it or send it back to its take-off location.
In Toronto, two people were charged for breaking Canadian Aviation Regulations.
Vancouver Police Department graphic on the no-fly zones for drones during FIFA World Cup. (VPD)
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says it seized more than 300 drones around World Cup venues since June 11.
During the U.S. and Australia match in Seattle on June 19, 11 drones were seized and two people arrested.
In one case out of Atlanta, an illegal alien from Mexico with a prior cocaine distribution conviction was charged Feb. 15 after flying a drone near the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park. FBI Atlanta’s Counter UAV Task Force had seized 21 drones by then.
The Washington National Guard held a counter drone field demonstration day to showcase detection systems, swarm operations, interception techniques and radio frequency mitigation.
Behind the scenes
theBreaker was first to report on a Feb. 4, 2025 presentation to federal assistant deputy ministers that prioritized airspace security and counter-unscrewed aircraft systems for tactical planning. The latter is meant to lawfully and safely disable or disrupt a drone.
A Department of National Defence website said risks and threats of drones include surveillance, interference with airplanes and helicopters and attacks. “Drones can carry explosives or chemical/biological agents, presenting a direct threat to safety.”
Integrated Threat Assessment Centre warned that drones could be used to drop objects, such as “mock powder or other substances near a crowd to cause panic.”
Canadian soccer fans will remember that a drone spying scandal during the Paris 2024 Olympics ruined the national women’s team’s gold medal defence.
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