DR Congo World Cup Squad Ordered to Isolate Before Entering United States Amid Ebola Concerns

DR Congo has been instructed to undergo a 21-day isolation period before being allowed to enter the United States for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the African nation.

According to reports, US authorities informed FIFA, the Congolese Football Federation, and government officials in Kinshasa that the team must remain inside a controlled training bubble in Belgium, where the squad is currently preparing for the tournament.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed the decision in an interview with ESPN.

“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.

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