Wednesday 20 May 2026 3:07 pm
| Updated:
Wednesday 20 May 2026 3:08 pm
DR Congo Ebola outbreak fuels World Cup superspreader fears
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s participation in the Fifa World Cup is under threat after an Ebola outbreak led to a US travel ban on the African nation.Health reports suggest there are over 500 suspected cases of the contagious disease in the DRC, with over 125 deaths. It is not yet being classed as a pandemic.But the latest figures have led to the US imposing a travel ban on the African nation which is set to participate in its first Fifa World Cup since 1974, when the nation was known as Zaire.“We’ve previously seen how, for example, both the 2020 Uefa Champions League match between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid and that year’s Cheltenham Festival became labelled as ‘super spreader’ events,” Professor Simon Chadwick told City AM.“Hence, one imagines that US officials and Fifa will therefore be closely monitoring the latest outbreak of Ebola in the DR Congo, as they won’t want the tournament to attain a similar status.”Ebola to derail World Cup?The DRC’s group stage schedule sees them play matches against Portugal in Houston, Colombia in Guadalajara, and Uzbekistan in Atlanta.Their playing squad should be safe to travel, with a number of their team playing in the major European leagues. But for fans and players based in Africa it could be an issue.“It seems likely, Chadwick added, “that these players will face a rigorous testing programme as tournament officials seek to monitor for evidence that any of them has the virus.“If Ebola were to break out in the US, this would pose major public health problems and might, ultimately, result in the 2026 World Cup being labelled as a spreader event. This would undermine image and reputation, perhaps even the tournament’s commercial performance.“With stuttering ticket sales and concerns about domestic security matters already significant issues, the last thing this summer’s tournament needs is an outbreak of Ebola.”
