As North Texas prepares to host 2026 FIFA World Cup events, the FBI insists specialized counter-drone teams are ready to protect restricted airspace around venues across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently described drones as his biggest World Cup sec urity concern and said the country has been “a little behind” in protecting against the threat. But FBI officials in Dallas say they are prepared to detect, assess, and, if necessary, remove drones that enter restricted airspace around World Cup events. When fans fill “Dallas Stadium” in Arlington for World Cup matches, they will be under temporary flight restrictions extending three miles in all directions from the venue. At the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park, drone flights are prohibited within a one-mile radius. FBI Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph Rothrock said those restrictions provide valuable time and space for security teams to respond. FBI Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph Rothrock, left, talks with NBC 5 Senior Investigative Reporter Scott Friedman, right. “Much in the same way as you think about physical security on the ground, it’s the same in the airspace,” Rothrock said. “It’s giving us those layers of security and time to make good, informed decisions and assessments so that we can decide on the best actions.” Those actions could include taking drones out of the sky. “We’ll be able to assess them for threats,” Rothrock said. “If we need to, we’ll be able to remove them from the airspace.” The FBI recently demonstrated some of its counter-drone capabilities at a media event attended by NBC News at the bureau’s national counter-drone training center in Alabama. “You can see, we have a drone not right now, hovering about 100 feet, and it’s come into the airspace,” said FBI counter-drone expert Mike Torphy. FBI counter-drone expert Mike Torphy. Agents showed how they can electronically take control of a drone and steer it away from a stadium. Torphy said agents have additional options available when necessary. “There are situations where shooting it down, as you say, is a potential possibility,” Torphy said. “And we make that determination on a case-by-case basis.” The FBI also uses its own drones and agents on the ground to quickly identify pilots operating drones inside restricted airspace. “And we are getting eyes on the pilot of the violating drone as quickly as possible, sometimes within 20 or 30 seconds,” Torphy said. The FBI’s counter-drone training center opened last year to train local law enforcement officers under a federal law that allows certified agencies to help mitigate drone threats. “We’re proud to partner with our local state partners and give them the tools, the training and the authorities they need to help us in this mission,” Rothrock said. FBI Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph Rothrock. Some Dallas police officers were among the local officers trained by the FBI ahead of the World Cup. The Dallas Police Department says those officers will work alongside federal agents protecting the airspace around Fair Park. Rothrock said the FBI has prioritized training officers in the 11 World Cup host cities. “The FBI really prioritized those 11 host cities and the local and state law enforcement officers that will support us in the security for those events over the next 30-plus days,” he said. For security reasons, officials declined to discuss the specific tools agents may use to bring down drones or how widely those tools will be deployed at locations beyond the stadium and fan festival. However, the FBI said temporary flight restrictions, known as TFRs, will be in effect around roughly 10 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area during World Cup activities. Officials warned that pilots who violate those restrictions could face fines of up to $100,000 and up to one year in prison. “It is their responsibility to understand where those temporary flight restrictions exist,” Rothrock said. “And we want them to be aware on the front end that there are some pretty significant penalties that come with violating the TFR.” Rothrock said the FBI is not aware of any credible threats against Dallas-area World Cup events at this time. He acknowledged that securing World Cup-related sites across North Texas presents unique challenges. Team training facilities, hotels, fan events, the broadcast center and match venues are spread across multiple cities. But Rothrock said that scale also creates advantages because more law enforcement agencies are available to assist. As a soccer fan himself, Rothrock said he hopes security operations remain largely unnoticed, allowing fans to focus on the matches. “It’ll be a lot of behind-the-scenes, probably watching a lot on TV like folks at home,” Rothrock said. “But very excited just for North Texas to experience what is a really once-in-a-lifetime experience.” World Cup 2026 World Cup Jun 4 Will you get the alert? Emergency warnings expand in North Texas ahead of World Cup 2026 World Cup Jun 1 World Cup security operation to bring heavy law enforcement presence across North Texas ...read more read less