Members of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national football team must complete a 21-day isolation period before entering the US for this year’s World Cup due to an Ebola outbreak in their country.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed on Friday that the Congolese delegation must remain inside a controlled bubble at their training base in Belgium or risk being denied entry into the US.

DRC are in Group K for the World Cup in North America. Their opening match is against Portugal on June 17 in Houston. They will also face Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta.

“We’ve been very ‌clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani told ESPN. “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government, as well, that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the US. We cannot be any clearer.”

All members of the DRC squad, including French head coach Sebastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country. Most play professionally in Europe, including defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham United, forward Yoane Wissa of Newcastle United and captain Chancel Mbemba of Lille.

Giuliani said the US would not compromise on health measures linked to the tournament.

“We want to make ⁠sure that there is nothing that’s going to come in or near our borders here on this,” he said.

Earlier this month, DRC confirmed an outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola, a rare form of the virus. More than 130 people have died among nearly 600 suspected cases.

The outbreak forced DRC to cancel its training camp in Kinshasa and relocate preparations to Belgium.

The team is scheduled to play Denmark in a friendly match in Liege on June 3 before facing Chile in southern Spain on June 9. (Arise News)

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