Members of the Democratic Republic of Congo national football team will undergo a mandatory 21-day isolation period before entering the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following an Ebola outbreak in the country.
The directive was confirmed on Friday by Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, who stated that the Congolese delegation must remain inside a tightly controlled training bubble in Belgium ahead of the tournament.
According to Giuliani, failure to strictly observe the isolation arrangement could result in the team being denied entry into the United States.
“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 U.S. We cannot be any clearer,” he added.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to compete in Group K at the World Cup taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Congolese side would begin their campaign against Portugal on June 17 in Houston before facing Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Their final group game is against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta.
Despite the outbreak in the central African nation, most members of the Congolese squad are based abroad and play professional football in Europe.
The team is managed by French coach Sebastien Desabre, while notable players include West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa and captain Chancel Mbemba of Lille.
Giuliani stressed that American authorities would not relax health protocols surrounding the global football 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.
Earlier this month, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed an outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola, a rare strain of the deadly virus.
Health officials said more than 130 people have died from nearly 600 suspected infections linked to the outbreak.
The health crisis forced the Congolese Football Federation to cancel the team’s planned training camp in Kinshasa and move preparations to Belgium instead.
As part of their World Cup build-up, the Leopards are expected to play Denmark in a friendly match in Liege on June 3 before taking on Chile in southern Spain on June 9.
