Congo cancels 3-day World Cup training camp and fan farewell over Ebola fears

Key Points:

• Congo’s soccer team canceled a three-day World Cup preparation camp and a farewell event in Kinshasa due to an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo involving the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has caused over 130 deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases.
• The team will continue preparations abroad, with planned friendly matches against Denmark in Belgium and Chile in Spain proceeding as scheduled, while the Kinshasa stage was the only one canceled.
• FIFA is monitoring the Ebola situation closely and coordinating with the Congo DR Football Association to ensure the team receives appropriate medical and security guidance.
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has imposed a 30-day entry ban on foreign nationals recently in Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, but the Congolese World Cup team is exempt as they have been training in Europe; however, Congolese fans returning from affected countries will face quarantine.
• Congo will compete in Group K of the World Cup, facing Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, marking their first qualification since 1974 and a significant moment of national pride amid ongoing conflict.