The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) national football team says it will continue with its planned preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite a warning from United States authorities linked to the Ebola outbreak in the country.

According to Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup task force, the DRC squad must remain in a controlled isolation bubble for 21 days before entering the US.Failure to comply could result in the team being denied entry into the country ahead of the tournament.The DRC team are currently training in Belgium and are scheduled to stay in Houston during the World Cup.Their group-stage campaign includes matches against Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.Despite the warning, a spokesperson for the team confirmed there are currently no changes to the training programme.Officials stressed that none of the players travelled from the DRC, as nearly all squad members and coach Sebastien Desabre are based in Europe.The team still plans to play friendly matches against Denmark in Belgium and Chile in Spain before the tournament begins.However, a planned three-day celebratory visit to Kinshasa has been cancelled as a precaution.The issue comes amid growing international concern over the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda.

The World Health Organisation has raised the risk level of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola to “very high” and declared the outbreak an international health emergency.Reports indicate that hundreds of suspected cases and more than 170 suspected deaths have already been recorded.The situation has created uncertainty around the DRC’s participation logistics, although the team insists its current preparations remain on track.