DR Congo Cancel World Cup Training Camp — Ebola Outbreak Forces Preparations Change; US CDC Imposes 21-Day Entry Ban

DR Congo were forced to cancel their planned pre-tournament farewell training camp in Kinshasa after a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo — with over 130 confirmed deaths and approximately 600 suspected cases — was declared a WHO public health emergency of international concern. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed an entry ban on foreign nationals who had been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days, directly threatening any DR Congo delegation member who had returned home recently. Congo's 26-man World Cup squad is currently training in Belgium and is unaffected, but any player, coaching staff, or federation official who traveled to DRC after early May could face quarantine before being permitted to enter the US. White House Task Force Director Andrew Giuliani stated that DR Congo must 'maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days' before arriving at their Houston base camp on June 11. The incident adds a new and unprecedented logistical threat to the 2026 World Cup alongside the Iran visa crisis. DR Congo — who qualified for their first World Cup in 52 years by beating Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff — are in Group F: vs. Portugal (June 17, NRG Stadium Houston), Colombia (June 22, Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia), and Uzbekistan (June 27, Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City). Qualification hero Axel Tuanzebe scored the decisive goal against Jamaica in the playoff final. FIFA and DR Congo's federation have been in urgent communication over contingency arrangements.