DR Congo Cancels World Cup Prep in Kinshasa Over Ebola Outbreak

Ebola outbreak disrupts DR Congo’s road to the World Cup

With 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, the outbreak has forced DR Congo to cancel home events and adjust travel plans for the 2026 tournament.

CDC rules banning entry for recent travelers from DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan have pushed the team to relocate training to Belgium ahead of the World Cup...

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s national team has canceled its World Cup warm-up events in Kinshasa because of the Ebola outbreak. A team spokesperson said the squad will now continue training in Belgium instead.

The team had planned to hold an open training session for fans and a send-off ceremony with President Félix Tshisekedi on Monday. These events were meant to take place as the squad prepares for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

The spokesperson told reporters that U.S. CDC travel restrictions related to the outbreak forced the team to change its plans.

The CDC has banned entry for non-U.S. passport holders who have been in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days.

As a result, all staff members based in DR Congo must leave the country by Thursday to enter the U.S. without restrictions. The team expects to arrive in the U.S. on June 10 or 11.

Team manager Dodo Landu downplayed the impact of the schedule change on the squad.

“The change is not very big, because we only had three days ‌in Kinshasa,” he told RFI. “We will just maintain the program in Belgium, the event on May 25 will take place in Brussels instead of Kinshasa.”

 

During the World Cup, the team will be based in Houston, Texas. The full squad announced on Monday plays for clubs outside DR Congo, with most players based in Europe.

🦠🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: DR Congo have cancelled their pre World Cup training camp due the outbreak of an extremely rare variant of the Ebola virus in their country.

• FIFA have published a statement saying they are aware of and monitoring the situation.

• The USA have banned… pic.twitter.com/LJXLBLIfaK

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) May 21, 2026

The Texas Department of State Health Services said on Wednesday that it is working closely with the CDC, FIFA, and local health departments to protect the health and safety of the teams, spectators, and Texas residents.

DR Congo’s World Cup schedule starts with a match against Portugal in Houston. They then face Colombia in Guadalajara and finish the group stage against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.

As of Wednesday, DR Congo had recorded 600 suspected Ebola cases and 139 suspected deaths from the outbreak.