DR Congo Team Keeps June 10 US Trip as Ebola Curbs Scrap Kinshasa Camp
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 19
DR Congo Team Keeps June 10 US Trip as Ebola Curbs Scrap Kinshasa Camp
14 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 19
Kinshasa training plans were canceled, but DR Congo still expects to reach Houston around June 10 for World Cup preparations and its June 17 opener against Portugal.
A 30-day CDC restriction bars non-U.S. passport holders who were in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days, pushing the squad to start camp in Europe instead.
U.S. officials and FIFA said they are coordinating safe passage for the team while protecting public health as the WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency.
Fans face tighter hurdles: visa holders must prove 21 days outside the affected countries before entering the U.S., while the U.S. Embassy in DR Congo has paused immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services.
The outbreak adds a new stress test for organizers of the 48-team World Cup across the United States, Mexico and Canada, alongside existing security and immigration challenges.
How does a nation's World Cup dream survive a deadly public health emergency?
Amid an Ebola outbreak with no vaccine, can the World Cup truly guarantee public safety?
Does special treatment for a soccer team reveal a flaw in global health security policies?
DR Congo’s 2026 World Cup Journey: Navigating Ebola Outbreak, US Travel Bans, and Global Health Protocols
Overview
The Democratic Republic of Congo's national football team, the Leopards, will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States despite a deadly Ebola outbreak at home. The US had previously banned entry for non-citizens from affected countries, but made a special exemption for the DR Congo team, as they are the only qualified team from the region. The team has been training in Europe, which may help them avoid the ban, but any members recently in the DRC will face strict screening protocols. These measures aim to balance public health safety with the spirit of international sports.