Soccer teams from seven different nations are set to play 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Houston beginning next month. But one nation’s team that’s set to be in the area might be barred from entering the United States.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is in the midst of an outbreak of Ebola, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports caused more than 175 suspected deaths as of Saturday. The outbreak was deemed a public health emergency by the World Health Organization, and the designation led to enhanced travel screening and entry restrictions for DR Congo residents from United States federal agencies.
Details about the arrival of the DR Congo national soccer team, which is scheduled to base in Houston during the World Cup, were revealed Friday.
Per Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, DR Congo’s team must isolate for 21 days or risk denied entry to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. DR Congo’s club is currently training in Belgium. Should it wish to play in its June 17 match against Portugal at Houston Stadium, it must isolate in Belgium, then enter the United States on June 11.
“We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11th,” Giuliani told ESPN. “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well, that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer.”
DR Congo has already canceled its three-day training camp and farewell ceremony in Kinshasa, the nation’s capital. It instead plans to remain isolated in Belgium, then come to America next month, where it will train for its June 17 match at Houston’s SaberCats Stadium. The CDC currently has a 30-day travel restriction in place for DR Congo residents, meaning fans in DR Congo will be barred from coming to Houston for the June 17 match.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will mark DR Congo’s first World Cup appearance since 1974. DR Congo will then play its next two group matches in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 23 and Atlanta on June 26.