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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has forced the country’s national football team to cancel its pre-World Cup training camp in Kinshasa.
As the country responds to the health crisis, which has drawn global attention, the team will continue training in Belgium.
More than 100 people have died in the outbreak, with the country recording over 500 suspected cases, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to declare it a health emergency.
The WHO has, however, said the outbreak does not constitute a global pandemic.
A spokesperson for the football team, Jerry Kalemo, said friendly matches in Europe will go ahead as planned as the country prepares for its first World Cup appearance since 1974.
The team will play the Denmark national football team in Belgium on June 3, 2026, and the Chile national football team in Spain on June 9, 2026.
Officials also said the Kinshasa camp was cancelled due to travel restrictions linked to the United States, one of the World Cup hosts alongside Mexico and Canada. US public health authorities have barred entry to non-citizens who have recently been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan.
All players, along with head coach Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the country, meaning the restrictions are not expected to affect the squad now that the local camp has been cancelled.
