The Democratic Republic of Congo’s may suffer a hitch if FIFA doesn’t intervene because of fresh travel restrictions imposed by the United States.
It could be recalled that the DR Congo narrowly edged the Super Eagles in the Africa World Cup playoff in Morocco and secured their place at the global tournament.
However, the result was immediately disputed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which alleged that DR Congo fielded up to six ineligible players during the decisive encounter.
The NFF subsequently escalated the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), hoping for a reversal or sanctions that could alter the final qualification outcome. DR Congo went on to strengthen their position by defeating Jamaica in the intercontinental playoffs.
In a surprising development, the United States has now suspended visa issuance to DR Congo nationals due to a reported Ebola outbreak, throwing their World Cup preparations into uncertainty, US Department of State has announced.
The restrictions mean that citizens of DR Congo are currently unable to obtain entry visas to the United States, one of the co-host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ordinarily, DR Congo supporters and delegation members would apply for standard B1/B2 visitor visas through U.S. embassies. However, the suspension has disrupted all standard travel processing, per The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Even special FIFA-related visa arrangements, including priority scheduling for ticket holders, are now effectively inaccessible to DR Congo nationals under the current policy.
