US Imposes Isolation Rule On DR Congo Team Ahead Of World Cup Over Ebola Fears

The United States has ordered members of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national football team to undergo a mandatory 21-day isolation period before travelling to the country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following the deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.

Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said the Congolese delegation must remain inside a controlled training bubble in Belgium or risk being denied entry into the United States.

DR Congo are scheduled to compete in Group K at the World Cup in North America. The team will face Portugal on June 17 in Houston, Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, and Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta.

“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 11,” Giuliani told ESPN.

“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 US. We cannot be any clearer,” he added.

Most members of the Congolese squad are based in Europe, including head coach Sébastien Desabre and players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Yoane Wissa and captain Chancel Mbemba.

Giuliani said the US would not relax its health protocols ahead of the tournament.

“We want to make sure that there is nothing that’s going to come in or near our borders here on this,” he said.

DR Congo recently confirmed an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, with more than 130 deaths recorded from nearly 600 suspected cases.The outbreak forced the national team to cancel its planned training camp in Kinshasa and move preparations to Belgium instead.

The Leopards are expected to play Denmark in a friendly in Liege on June 3 before facing Chile in Spain on June 9 as part of their World Cup preparations.