Vancouver police tell of drones, drunks and record deployment in wake of World Cup

Australia fans surround an RCMP officer as they march to the entrance of B.C. Place before the first half of a World Cup Group D soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

VANCOUVER — Vancouver police say the department made its largest deployment ever during the World Cup, which included policing the sky by “bringing down” 40 drones.

Police say their drone pilots flew more than 800 flights between June 11 and July 13, most of them over the Last Mile towards BC Place, and 745 unauthorized drone flights were noted on Vancouver’s seven match days.

The department says 45 operators were identified and told to bring down their drones, while another 40 were remotely jammed and “removed from the sky by law enforcement.”

It says in a statement that as many as 1,300 officers were out on each of the seven matches with support from RCMP, Metro Vancouver Transit Police, and officers from the Delta, Calgary and Edmonton police services.

Deputy Chief Const. Don Chapman says there were just three Criminal Code arrests in the fan festival out of about 500,000 visitors, which speaks to the positive fan behaviour during the games.

The department says 16 foreign nationals were arrested across all FIFA venues, including the stadium, the Fan Fest in East Vancouver and the Granville entertainment district, for either breaching the peace or being drunk in a public place.

While there were 36 criminal code arrests in the Granville entertainment district, Supt. Jeff Neuman said it was “largely peaceful.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2026.