DR Congo Football Team Cleared for US Entry Amid Ebola Outbreak

NAIROBI, May 25. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, and the Congolese Association Football Federation (FECOFA) both say that the players and coaching staff of the national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo followed sanitary measures amid the outbreak of the Ebola virus and would be eligible to safely enter the United States to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the FECOFA stated in a statement on Monday.

"FECOFA informed FIFA that it took every measure to avoid risks associated with the epidemic and to comply with the sanitary protocol introduced by the US government," the statement reads.

"FECOFA has made it clear that all of the players are eligible to play at the World Cup, as well as most of the coaching staff, who [currently] live and work in Europe, so there is no reason to worry about them being potentially infected," according to the statement.

"Regarding the technical staff, who left Kinshasa traveling to Belgium for training camp, they left the country on May 20 and will spend at least 21 days in Europe before heading to the United States," the statement continued.

"Therefore, FECOFA and FIFA concluded after their meeting that the players and coaching staff had adhered to the sanitary measures introduced by the US authorities, and the country's delegation is fully focused on preparing for the World Cup," the statement added.

FECOFA also pointed out that FIFA pledged to consider refunding the country’s football fans who purchased tickets for World Cup matches but were later denied US entry visas.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States between June 11 and July 19. The matches will be staged in 16 cities across the three countries. This will be the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams instead of the previous 32-team format.

The Congolese national football team has been placed for the upcoming world football championship in Group K among the teams from Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia.

The Congolese Ministry of Communication and Media reported earlier in the day on the X social network that the number of deaths attributed to Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has exceeded 200.

The epicenter of the outbreak is located in the province of Ituri, which borders Uganda, where, at this point, one death and five suspected cases were registered.

The Congolese healthcare service started to receive first alerts on May 5, but it is possible that the virus had been spreading among locals undetected for several weeks. Overnight into May 17, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.

The current outbreak is caused by the Ebola-Bundibugyo strain of the virus, first detected in Uganda in the fall of 2007. Its mortality is estimated at around 30-50%. There are no vaccines or specific treatment for it.