“Health caution”
DR Congo’s World Cup friendly canceled due to Ebola
June 2, 2026 – 7:54 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The mayor of a Spanish city has issued a decree banning the international match between the DR Congo and Chile – out of concern about the Ebola outbreak. The epidemic also has consequences for Africa’s World Cup appearance.
The international match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile scheduled for June 9th has been canceled. The mayor of La Linea de la Concepción has banned the game by decree – on the recommendation of the Andalusian health service due to the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo.
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Mayor Juan Franco said in an audio recording distributed by his town hall: “I have just signed the decree not authorizing the match between the national teams of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile scheduled for next June 9 at the municipal stadium.” He cited “health caution” as the reason.
DR Congo faces entry problems in the USA and Mexico
An Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri province in northeastern DR Congo. The consequences extend to the World Cup (June 11 to July 19): Anyone who wants to enter the USA with the Congolese team must isolate themselves in a “bubble” for three weeks. This is what Andrew Giuliani, the White House World Cup official, said.
Mexico has also reacted: Since Saturday, the country has been restricting entry for people who have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan in the past 21 days. DR Congo will face Portugal in the group stage in Houston (June 17), Colombia in Guadalajara (June 24) and World Cup debutants Uzbekistan in Atlanta (June 28).