DR Congo face United States entry ban for 2026 World Cup over Ebola
DR Congo risk being banned from entering the United States for the 2026 World Cup unless the squad maintains a strict 21-day isolation bubble following an Ebola outbreak.
The African nation are currently training in Belgium to prepare for two pre-tournament friendlies ahead of this summer’s expanded 48-team competition.
However, their participation is in severe jeopardy after the World Health Organisation declared a recent outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola strain in the region as a public health emergency.
Strict isolation measures required
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed that uncompromising health protocols have been communicated to the visiting delegation.
“We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11th,” Giuliani stated.
“We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well, that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States.”
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a 30-day entry ban on all foreign nationals who have visited Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past three weeks.
Group stage fixtures in jeopardy
Giuliani emphasised that any symptomatic individuals associating with the travelling party would threaten the entire squad’s ability to compete in North America.
“If there are other people that are going to be coming in, they need to have a separate bubble from that team,” he added.
“If they end up coming, and any of those people end up symptomatic, they are risking the entire team being able to come and compete in this World Cup.”
The Leopards are drawn against Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan in their upcoming group stage campaign.
With their opening fixture against the 2016 European champions scheduled in less than 30 days, any breach of protocol could see their tournament dreams end before they even begin.