The United States demands 21-day isolation of the DR Congo team for the World Cup
The Congolese team must assume the health requirements of the United States to be able to participate in the 2026 World Cup due to the recent Ebola outbreak
The United States authorities, faced with the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have required the Congolese team to undergo a 21-day isolation period to be able to enter North American soil and participate in the World Cup.
The above was announced by the head of the White House working group for the 2026 World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, who assured that the members of this national team will have to isolate themselves for 21 days to be able to enter the United States and play in the group stage of the World Cup, following the Ebola outbreak in the African country.
“We have been very clear with the Congo that they must maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before being able to come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said in an interview for the North American sports channel ESPN.
The official was blunt in his position regarding medical security for the inhabitants of his country: "We have also made it very clear to the Government of Congo that they must maintain that bubble or risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be clearer."
The Congo national team stopped its training in Kinshasa to isolate itself from the Ebola outbreak in the country and concentrate on Belgium, where it will play the first of two pre-World Cup friendlies on June 3 in Liège, against Denmark.
In Spain, health authorities are also on alert to study the measures they will implement for the preparation duel against Chile in the province of La Línea, in the city of Cádiz, on June 9.
The Spanish health authorities reported this Friday that they are studying the possible measures to implement to guarantee maximum safety in said friendly.
Congo plans to travel to Houston a week before their debut in the World Cup against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on June 17, although this announcement by the North American government will force the Africans to cancel their summer camp that they had planned before debuting in the World Cup.
So far and according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), suspicious deaths from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have so far totaled 177 of the 750 cases that have been detected, but it is presumed that the scope of the epidemic would be greater.