MARIE JEANNE SHOW/EPA
Nsimire puts on rubber gloves before interacting with domestic workers as a preventative measure against Ebola in Goma, Congo
DR Congo is the Brazilian team’s first opponent, and has already canceled training matches because of the new Ebola outbreak — which still has no vaccine or treatment. Congolese fans who have already seen it must prove that they spent 21 days outside the countries covered by the restrictions.
The Democratic Republic of Congo team, Portugal’s first opponent in less than a month, in its debut at the 2026 World Cup, canceled the stage of the training camp that was scheduled for Kinshasa, the country’s capital.
The cancellation was due to new public health restrictions imposed following an outbreak in Central Africa that has killed at least 131 people and led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare .
Despite everything, team officials cited by say that plans to travel to the United States to prepare for and participate in the 2026 World Cup are maintained and that the preparation program will continue in Europe and then in Houston, Texasbefore the start of the competition, on June 17th.
The team had scheduled to meet in Kinshasa on May 24, hold a public session at the Tata Stadium on May 26 and leave the next day for Europe on a chartered flight. That plan has since been abandoned.
According to the same spokesperson for the Congolese national team, the players are currently out of the country, after their respective clubs’ games, and will not return to the DRC. Instead, they are set to begin their internship in Europe later this month. Arrival in Houston is scheduled for around June 10th.
Concerns from FIFA and the US increased after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has imposed a 30 day restriction to the entry of citizens without a US passport who have been to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
US officials say they are working with FIFA to ensure safe travel. Congolese fans who have already seen it will have to prove that they spent 21 days outside the countries covered by the restrictions. Those who have not yet obtained a visa may face difficulties, as the US embassy in the DRC has temporarily suspended immigration and non-immigration visa services.
FIFA said it was in contact with the Congolese federation and health authorities in host countries and the WHO, highlighting that health security remains a priority.
The WHO warned that “the high positivity rate of initial samples and the confirmation of cases in Kampala and Kinshasa [capital da RDCongo] point to a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected.”
There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines specifically for the virus. Bundibugyo.
