United States Orders Congo National Team to Quarantine First if They Still Want to Appear at the 2026 World Cup

The Democratic Republic of Congo national team must be isolated before entering the United States for the 2026 World Cup (Instagram/@fecofadrc).

JAKARTA - The Democratic Republic of Congo National Team (Timnas) must isolate for 21 days or risk losing the opportunity to enter the United States (US) to participate in the 2026 World Cup.

Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, confirmed that the policy was made because the US was facing an Ebola outbreak.

Giuliani said the US had told FIFA, the Congo national team, and the Congolese government that the team must maintain a "bubble" (safe zone) in Belgium, where they are currently training and are scheduled to play two warm-up matches.

"We have been very clear to Congo that they must maintain the integrity of their 'bubble' for 21 days before they can come to Houston on June 11, 2026."

"We have also made it very clear to the Government of the Congo that they need to maintain this 'bubble' or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We can't be clearer," said Giuliani, as reported by ESPN.

Giuliani said the US was taking the health and safety of the 2026 World Cup very seriously.

"We want to make sure that no one will enter or approach our borders," he said.

All the Congolese players and the team's coach from France, Sebastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country, with most of them playing in France. Some of the team's staff based in Congo left the country this week.

"If anyone else is going to come, they need to be in a separate bubble from the team. If they do eventually come and one of those people shows symptoms, they risk endangering the whole team to be able to come and compete in the 2026 World Cup," said Giuliani.

Giuliani added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had staff in Europe monitoring two US doctors who were in quarantine after being exposed to Ebola. They had discussed whether to send staff to Belgium to check on the condition of the Congo national team or not.

Last week, Congo confirmed a rare Ebola strain known as Bundibugyo had killed an estimated more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

The CDC said this week that the US would ban all foreign nationals who had been in Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan in the past three weeks. The ban is valid for 30 days.

Midweek last week, the Congo national team canceled a three-day World Cup 2026 preparation training camp and a planned farewell event for fans in the capital Kinshasa due to the Ebola problem.

Congo are scheduled to play a 2026 World Cup warm-up game against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, 2026 and face Chile in southern Spain on June 9, 2026.

The Congo national team is in Group K. They will face Portugal in the opening match in Houston on June 17, 2026, then face Colombia in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 23, 2026, before playing against Uzbekistan in Atlanta for their final group match on June 27, 2026.

President Donald Trump appointed Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to lead the 2026 World Cup task force in May.