The United States (U.S) government has imposed a 21-day isolation order on the squad of DR Congo for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup over Ebola fears.
In an effort to shield the tournament from health risks, the U.S said the 21-day isolation order for the DR Congo squad is necessary before arriving for World Cup events on American soil.
The mandate comes on the heels of a highly concerning outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in eastern DR Congo, which has already claimed more than 130 lives out of nearly 600 suspected cases.
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, clarified that the Congolese squad must maintain a strict 21-day quarantine “bubble” at their current European training camp in Belgium.
Under these rules, any breach of isolation or contact with individuals from the affected regions will lead to an immediate revocation of their travel clearance.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the DR Congo is in Group K for this year’s World Cup in North America. Its first game is against Portugal on June 17 in Houston, followed by matches against Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and against 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 the press.
“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.”
All of DRC’s team members, along with French head coach Sebastien Desabre, are based outside of the central African country. Most play professionally in Europe, including defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United) and forward Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United) in England’s Premier League and captain and defender Chancel Mbemba (Lille) in France’s Ligue 1.
Giuliani said the U.S is not taking any chances when it comes to health and safety issues surrounding the World Cup.
“We want to make sure that there is nothing that’s going to come in or near our borders here on this,” he said.
Earlier this month, DRC confirmed an outbreak of a rare form of Ebola called Bundibugyo. More than 130 people have died among the nearly 600 suspected cases.
DRC cancelled its training camp in the capital city of Kinshasa amid the outbreak and relocated to Belgium, where the team has a friendly scheduled against Denmark in Liege on June 3. DRC also has a friendly scheduled against Chile in southern Spain on June 9.
This also comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its public health alert to its highest internal tier, warning that the current Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo now poses a “very high” risk at the national level.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced Ebola risk escalation in DR Congo during a press conference on Friday, noting that the virus is “spreading rapidly” through conflict-weary eastern provinces.
