A little less than two weeks before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo is seeing its preparation completely turned upside down due to the health disaster affecting the country.
“ Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic clash of disease and conflict, with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response,” declared in particular the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on X. According to the latest estimates from the Congolese Ministry of Health, more than 200 people have died since May 15.
This epidemic of hemorrhagic fever therefore pushes the leaders of the Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) to cancel their preparation course in the country. And the American government imposed 21-day isolation on the Leopards upon their arrival in the United States, according to information from ESPN and theAFP relaying those from the White House last week.
No isolation or internship in Congo
However, according to journalist Romain Molina, “the Congolese selection will not need to isolate themselves in a 21-day health bubble”before reaching the North American continent.
“After consultation with FIFA, it was decided that only staff members living in the DRC should comply with the protocol and not those playing in Europe, Egypt or the United Arab Emirates (i.e. the entire selection)”he specifies on
X.
Good news for Sébastien Desabre’s men, whose base camp is in Houston, Texas, who will face Portugal (June 17), Colombia (June 24) and Uzbekistan (June 28) for Group K.
