Two weeks before the start of the tournament
Virus outbreak: World Cup countries tighten travel restrictions
May 29, 2026 – 10:20 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
World Cup organizers want to prevent the Ebola virus from reaching Central and North America. They agreed on new travel restrictions.
The outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola virus in Africa is also worrying the World Cup host countries in North and Central America. After more than 200 Ebola deaths and 900 suspected cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the USA, Mexico and Canada have now responded with tightened entry restrictions. The goal must be to protect citizens and visitors during the upcoming World Cup (June 11 to July 19).
“The health and safety of everyone in the region remains our top priority as we welcome the world to North America,” they said in a joint statement on Thursday. Details of the coordinated measures were not given.
The Democratic Republic of Congo national team also qualified for the tournament. They play in Group K in Houston (US state of Texas) against Portugal, in Zapopan (Mexico) against Colombia and in Atlanta (US state of Georgia) against Uzbekistan.
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The three countries had previously tightened their entry rules at national level. The USA Last week imposed an entry ban on foreigners who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan. The US health authority CDC extended this ban on Friday to green card holders who have been in these countries in the past 21 days.
Canada has denied residents of the three African countries entry for 90 days since Wednesday. Starting May 30, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be required to quarantine for 21 days upon returning from affected areas.
of Mexico Health Minister David Kershenovich has announced stricter controls at airports and also ordered a three-week quarantine for those arriving from the Congo.
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A week and a half ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the Ebola outbreak in Congo. The outbreak was first reported on May 15 in the armed conflict-affected Congolese province of Ituri. According to the WHO, the virus had probably been spreading undetected for months at this point.
