US Allows DR Congo Team to Enter for World Cup Despite Ebola Restrictions

The United States will allow the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national soccer team to travel to the World Cup, despite an existing entry ban related to Ebola, a U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday.

“We expect the DRC team to be able to attend the World Cup,” the senior official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

Currently, the United States has prohibited non‑American citizens who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days from entering the country because of the Ebola outbreak.

The official explained that the DRC team is the only squad among the three affected countries to have qualified for the tournament. The team has been training in Europe, which may mean it has not been subject to the ban.

However, if any team members had been in the DRC during the last 21 days, they would face strict screening similar to that required for returning American citizens, rather than a full ban.

“We’re working to get them into the same protocol for testing in isolation that American citizens returning and permanent residents would be,” the official added.

The exemption does not extend to ordinary fans from the DRC who wish to attend the matches.

DR Congo has qualified for the World Cup for only the second time, having previously appeared in 1974 when the country was known as Zaire.

The “Leopards” plan to establish a base in Houston, where they will play their opening match on June 17 against Portugal as part of Group K.

They are scheduled to travel to Guadalajara for a game against Colombia on June 24, then return to the United States to face Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 28.

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