Super Bowl fans warned to keep drones at home with flights banned over big game

Source: CBS News

Updated on: February 7, 2026 / 9:33 AM EST / CBS News


As fans from around the country descend on California to watch the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's Super Bowl, officials are telling them to leave their drones at home. The police chief in Santa Clara, where this year's big game will be played, said authorities are prepared to shoot down a drone, if necessary.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, can be easily purchased online and are increasingly popular with hobbyist drone pilots, including sports fans who want to film their favorite events.

But the risks posed by drones are real, whether a hobbyist drone malfunctions and falls into the stands or a bad actor uses a drone to drop something into the stadium.

Retired Army Col. Bill Edwards, who runs counter-drone training at Washington, D.C.-based tech company ENSCO, expects people will try to fly drones at the big game. "We have to expect it at every major event that's happening in the country," Edwards said in an interview.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-bowl-drones-flights-banned-big-game/