ARLINGTON, Texas — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and FBI Dallas issued a joint warning that drone operators who violate temporary flight restrictions during the 2026 FIFA World Cup will face federal prosecution, imprisonment, fines, and forfeiture of their aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed temporary flight restrictions over AT&T Stadium in Arlington — designated “Dallas Stadium” for the tournament — spanning a 3-nautical-mile radius up to 3,000 feet. The restriction takes effect 3 hours before the start of each match and runs until 3 hours after the match ends. A separate restriction covers Fair Park in Dallas during the FIFA Fan Festival, which runs from June 11 through July 19, spanning a 1-nautical-mile radius from the Dos Equis Pavilion up to 1,000 feet, in effect 1 hour before and 1 hour after each day’s festival.
“We want the 2026 FIFA World Cup fans to have a world class time while they are in the DFW metroplex. When someone makes a decision to fly a drone over restricted airspace, they are wasting valuable law enforcement resources and jeopardizing the safety and overall experience of those who are there to watch the beautiful game,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “If you choose to ignore this warning, understand that we’ll be ready for you and you will be prosecuted.”
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the bureau would deploy its full capabilities against violators. “It is the drone operator’s responsibility to understand where Temporary Flight Restrictions exist. Before you fly a drone, I strongly encourage you to check for active flight restrictions using an FAA-approved B4UFLY service provider,” Rothrock said. “To ensure the safety of the World Cup events, we will use our full suite of capabilities to identify drone operators violating TFRs, seize their drones, and support their prosecution.”
Raybould’s office has already prosecuted nine individuals for illegal drone flights in restricted airspace across the Northern District of Texas. David Flores pled guilty to one felony count of operating an unregistered drone and was sentenced to approximately five months’ imprisonment. Jason Carvell Banner pled guilty to violating national defense airspace by flying a drone over the Texas Rangers Ballpark and received 25 months’ probation and a monetary fine. Ernesto Villanueva Gonzalez pled guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to approximately two months’ imprisonment and a fine. Scott Lorenzen received six months’ probation, and Shawn Yang was ordered to pay a monetary fine — both for national defense airspace violations.
Three cases remain pending: Melvin Mitchell III, charged via indictment with one felony count of operating as an airman without an airman’s certificate; Vincent Paolella, charged via criminal information with violating national defense airspace; and Jasson Longoria, facing the same charge. David Fowler, who pled guilty to one felony count of operating an unregistered drone, is set for sentencing on June 23.
All drone operators are required to register and label their aircraft and obtain a Part 107 pilot’s license from the FAA before operating in any flight-restricted airspace, or obtain a TRUST certificate for recreational-only flights. Fowler’s sentencing next week will be the first drone-enforcement proceeding during the tournament window.