DR Congo Relocate World Cup Training Camp Amid Ebola Outbreak
DR Congo have relocated their pre-World Cup training camp from Kinshasa to Belgium following a deadly Ebola outbreak that has claimed at least 139 suspected deaths.
DR Congo players and coaching staff celebrate after winning the match and qualifying for the World Cup during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo/Courtesy
The national football team of Democratic Republic of the Congo has cancelled a planned pre-World Cup training camp in Kinshasa following a fresh Ebola outbreak in the country.
The outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever was declared last Friday in eastern DR Congo and is suspected to have caused 139 deaths from about 600 probable cases.
A team press officer told AFP that the training camp, which was scheduled to take place in Kinshasa for three days, had been relocated to Belgium, although he did not directly confirm whether the Ebola outbreak influenced the decision.
The official also noted that no locally based players had been selected for the national squad.
DR Congo national football team have qualified for the FIFA World Cup for only the second time in history, having previously appeared in the 1974 tournament when the country was known as Zaire.
The team is expected to base its World Cup preparations in Houston, where it will open its Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17. DR Congo will then face Colombia in Guadalajara on June 24 before concluding the group stage against Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 28.
A United States official said the Congolese team would still be allowed to travel for the tournament despite current US restrictions linked to the outbreak.
The US has barred non-American travellers who have recently been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days because of the Ebola situation.
However, officials said the team has largely been training in Europe and would therefore likely not fall under the restrictions. Even if players had recently been in DR Congo, they would still be permitted entry subject to enhanced health screening measures rather than a complete travel ban.
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