The FBI seized 59 drones across the Los Angeles area during the FIFA World Cup play as the city hosted matches and fan events during parts of June and July.
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As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 summer Olympics, drones are among the top concerns for law enforcement, Patrick Grandy, the FBI’s acting director in charge of Los Angeles, said in a Wednesday, July 29 press conference at the agency’s local headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard.
Dozens of seized drones, and even a pair of goggles that allow the operator to see from the drone’s point of view, were on display, with officials highlighting the safety measures taken against drones during World Cup play.
None of the drones had a weapon. But anytime a drone is put into the air while a temporary flight restriction is in place, as was the case over certain areas of Los Angeles County including near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, there are risks, Grandy said.
“On one extreme is that drone that carries a payload and is weaponized,” he said. “(Also,) drone operators that violate temporary flight restrictions have been involved in aircraft accidents. For example, a Super Scooper (plane) during the Palisades fire was damaged — and had to land — by a drone.”
Several Los Angeles police helicopters have been struck by drones, including recently in the San Fernando Valley.
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Grandy said that the 2028 Olympics will be the largest national-security event in the history of the United States, and that the FBI is well prepared for how to handle drones that enter restricted airspace.
The FBI’s Patrick Grandy, at the lectern, shows off some of the 59 drones the FBI confiscated while they were being flown illegally in restricted airspace during the World Cup on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. A special FBI task force deployed during the World Cup seized 700 drones violating airspace around the games. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Some of the 59 drones the FBI confiscated while they were being flown illegally in restricted airspace during the World Cup on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. A special FBI task force deployed during the World Cup seized 700 drones violating airspace around the games. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
A still from from FBI footage shows FBI agents apprehending an illegal drone operator during the World Cup. A special FBI task force deployed during the World Cup seized 700 drones violating airspace around the games. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
All of the drones detected by the FBI in flight-restricted areas during World Cup play in Southern California were seized — with operators potentially facing fines from a few hundred dollars to $100,000.
“Drones can (cost) from several hundred to several thousand dollars,” Grandy said. “So with 59 of them seized here in Los Angeles, I would say there’s quite a bit of money sitting on the table.”
Most operators were cooperative, landing the drones when the FBI instructed them to do so, though the agency does have the capability to take down drones if needed, special agent in charge Amir Ehsaei said.
The FBI did not detail how it would do that.
The FBI used their own drones as first responders — getting a view of the drone pilots before intercept teams approach the violators on the ground, he said.
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