MILITARY-LEVEL drone threats over World Cup stadiums in the United States are being discreetly eradicated by sophisticated security planners, a former FBI agent has detailed.
In the lead up to the start of the World Cup, security details at stadiums in hosting cities worked diligently to have counter-drone systems in place, including capabilities to obstruct remote-controlled aircraft.
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House World Cup Task Force, called the security operation a “massive undertaking” that required flawless collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners.
“We pushed hard for counter-drone mitigation at all 78 stadiums,” Giuliani told The U.S. Sun.
“That’s really amazing – in 2025, only five special events in the United States had counter-drone coverage.”
“This year, all 78 matches will have counter-drone mitigation coverage, and one fan fest in each of the 11 host cities will have one as well.
“Really incredible work by the White House Task Force, by the Air Sovereignty Task Force, and by all of our federal partners — pushing through the Super Skies Act, working to get reimbursements to the states for the World Cup. The games will be safer because of it.”
The Trump administration has reportedly spent $250million since last December to help US host cities address drone threats.
In Kansas City, Missouri, one of the 11 World Cup host cities in the US, DroneShield is supporting the metropolitan region’s counter drone operation alongside local police and regional partners.
The city’s Arrowhead Stadium is hosting six World Cup matches, while three of the world’s biggest teams, including Argentina, England and Netherlands, have chosen it as their team base for the tournament.
Tom Adams, a retired FBI agent and director of public safety at DroneShield, detailed the complex operation that includes “detecting, tracking, identifying, and mitigating drone threats.”
“Security planners at FIFA World Cup matches are concerned about a wide range of drone activity,” Adams told The U.S. Sun.
Among those concerns are drones “carrying explosives or hazardous materials; drone incursions into restricted airspace near stadiums; and hobbyist or reckless operators whose drones could cause panic, delays, or physical harm in densely populated areas.”
“The methods in which drones can be used nefariously can only be limited by the imagination of criminals and terrorists alike,” Adams added.
Adams, who spent the last three years on the FBI’s counter-drone team, described the ominous way drone threats have evolved.
“We are seeing more sophisticated drone threats today because commercial drones have become cheaper, more autonomous, and capable of longer-range flights, advanced navigation, and payload delivery,” he said.
“At the same time, adversaries and malicious actors have gained access to tactics and technologies once limited to military use.
“This new security challenge knows no borders.”
When DroneShield’s counter-UAS system detects a rogue drone, its operators use information from sensors to assess whether the drone poses a threat, Adams explained.
Those sensors include “radar, RF detection, cameras, or acoustic systems to detect, track, identify, and assess” the remote-controlled aircraft.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16557888/military-drone-threats-world-cup-stadium-droneshield/