The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has formally appealed to FIFA to refund World Cup 2026 tickets purchased by fans who can no longer travel to the United States due to Ebola-related travel restrictions, in a developing crisis that is overshadowing the country’s long-awaited return to football’s biggest stage.
The request comes as the “Leopards” prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 1974, a 52-year absence that had already generated nationwide excitement. But that momentum is now under threat following a public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 16 May, after a renewed Ebola outbreak in central and eastern Africa.
According to health officials, there are more than 900 suspected Ebola cases and 223 suspected deaths since the outbreak began, with the vast majority recorded in DR Congo. The situation has triggered international concern and, more directly, strict travel consequences.
The United States has suspended visa services at its embassy in Kinshasa and introduced entry restrictions barring non-US citizens who have been in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days. While the WHO has not recommended formal travel bans, the US policy has effectively shut out many fans hoping to attend matches in North America.
“We asked FIFA if this is possible to take this into consideration, because the tickets are a little bit expensive,” said Veron Mosengo-Omba, president of DR Congo’s football federation (FECOFA), in comments to BBC Sport Africa.
“They are punished because they cannot get [into the US] to see the World Cup to support their team. We don't want our supporters who love football, who love the World Cup, to lose everything.”
The issue is particularly sensitive given FIFA’s pricing model for the 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Reports indicate ticket prices are up to seven times higher than those seen during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, largely due to dynamic pricing.
DR Congo’s opening Group K match against Portugal on 17 June is scheduled in Houston, meaning supporters departing from Kinshasa would need to leave at least 21 days in advance to comply with US entry rules. That requirement alone has made attendance nearly impossible for many fans.
FIFA has acknowledged the request, stating it “will look into it in due course,” though its standard policy generally allows tickets to be resold or transferred rather than refunded—except in exceptional circumstances such as match cancellations.
Despite the restrictions on supporters, the national team itself remains unaffected. All 26 players in coach Sébastien Desabre’s squad, along with most technical staff, are based outside DR Congo. Officials who were still in-country have already left early to meet quarantine requirements.
The federation was also forced to cancel a pre-tournament training camp in Kinshasa, with the team now assembling in Belgium before heading to their base in Texas.
The broader travel disruption has also shifted fan expectations. While DR Congo’s second group match against Colombia will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico, many supporters are expected to redirect travel plans away from the United States. Their final group fixture against Uzbekistan, however, returns to US soil in Atlanta—meaning qualification prospects could determine whether fans get another chance to attend.
Beyond logistics, the crisis has reignited debate over FIFA’s refund policies and the accessibility of global tournaments for supporters from countries facing sudden travel restrictions.
For Mosengo-Omba, the issue is as emotional as it is administrative.
“This is the resurrection of football in this country,” he said, reflecting on DR Congo’s long-awaited return to the World Cup stage after more than half a century.
He added: “We are not saying that we will win the Afcon or World Cup, but we will build a solid foundation for the future.”
Yet alongside the footballing optimism lies a stark public health reality. The WHO has identified the outbreak strain as the rare Bundibugyo variant of Ebola, for which no widely available vaccine currently exists, complicating containment efforts in regions already affected by conflict and displacement.
Some officials have also pushed back against global fears about the outbreak’s scope.
“The world doesn’t need to be afraid,” Mosengo-Omba said. “Some people are thinking Ebola is genetic, it's a contamination. It's ignorance about this disease.”
Still, the outbreak’s severity—combined with strained healthcare access in eastern DR Congo—has made containment difficult, with international consequences now extending into sport.
As FIFA reviews the request, the situation highlights an unusual collision between global health policy and global sport: a World Cup return decades in the making for DR Congo, now complicated not by performance on the pitch, but by borders, biology, and bureaucracy.