By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) could be barred from participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the team fails to comply with health protocols linked to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country.
According to reports, the Congolese national team has been directed to observe a strict 21-day isolation period before travelling to the United States for the tournament. The team is scheduled to arrive in Houston, Texas, on June 11, ahead of its opening match against Portugal on June 17.
The isolation requirement means the squad must remain within designated training bubbles during its pre-World Cup preparations in Belgium and Spain.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, warned that any breach of the health measures could jeopardise the team’s participation in the competition.
“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 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 United States. We cannot be any clearer,” he added.
Giuliani stressed that the measures are aimed at preventing potential health risks during 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, warning that symptomatic cases linked to the team could threaten the squad’s eligibility to compete.
Despite the warning, DR Congo officials have indicated that the team’s scheduled friendly matches against Denmark and Chile will proceed as planned. The side is expected to face Denmark in Liège on June 3 before taking on Chile in Cádiz, Spain, six days later.
A spokesperson for the team maintained that preparations remain largely unchanged.
“We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DR Congo. The friendly matches are still scheduled. The only modification to the programme has been the cancellation of the Kinshasa leg,” the official said, according to Reuters.
The team had initially planned a celebratory visit to Kinshasa before the World Cup, marking what would be the country’s first appearance at the tournament in 52 years. However, that trip has been cancelled amid the health concerns.
DR Congo secured qualification for the World Cup after an impressive run and now faces a race against time to ensure compliance with the protocols required for entry into the United States.
