The Democratic Republic of Congo’s soccer team is attempting to navigate through a national Ebola outbreak in its preparations for the World Cup, though the squad still expects to compete in North America this summer.
FIFA issued a statement that “it is aware of and monitoring the situation regarding an Ebola outbreak and is in close communication with the Congo DR Football Association to ensure that the team are made aware of all medical and security guidance.
“FIFA continues to work with all three FIFA World Cup 2026 host countries’ governments, including the US Department of State, CDC and Department of Homeland Security, Mexico’s Secretariat of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as with the World Health Organization, to ensure a safe and secure tournament, as the health of all individuals involved remains FIFA’s priority.”
DR Congo scrapped a planned training camp that was due to be held in the capital of Kinshasa this coming Sunday.
“Our team’s preparation program is proceeding as planned in Europe and Houston,” a DR Congo spokesperson told Politico.com. “It is the Kinshasa leg that has been cancelled due to health restrictions.”
The DR Congo team is due to make Houston its North American base during the summer, with its opening Group K game scheduled in that city on June 17 against Portugal. DR Congo’s other group games will be on June 23 against Colombia in Zapopan, Mexico, and on June 27 against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
The president of Houston’s World Cup host committee, Chris Canetti, told USA Today, “As you can imagine, we are taking advisement from FIFA and health officials on this. As of now, there are no change in plans. The team arrival date is scheduled for June 11.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday paused entry to the country for 30 days by people who have recently visited the sites of the Ebola outbreak: DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
Satish Pillai, incident manager for CDC’s Ebola response, said Tuesday, according to Politico.com, “We’re actively working with FIFA to ensure that there is safe traveling, safe passage, and ensuring that travelers and the American public remain safe throughout.”
–Field Level Media
