ByCelestine Karoney

BBC Sport Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo have asked Fifa to refund the cost of 2026 World Cup tickets bought by fans who are now unable to enter the United States because of Ebola-related travel restrictions.

The Leopards are returning to football's biggest stage for the first time since 1974, but the public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 16 May is threatening to stop supporters from travelling to the US.

Officials say there are more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola in central and East Africa, and 223 suspected deaths, since the outbreak was declared.

The vast majority of those cases and fatalities have been in DR Congo, and the US embassy in the capital Kinshasa has suspended visa services.

While the WHO has not advised on imposing travel restrictions, the US has barred entry from non-Americans who have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.

On Tuesday, co-hosts Canada followed suit, imposing a 90-day restriction on Congolese nationals travelling from their homeland. This would rule out any supporters hoping to reach Toronto for a potential second round game, should the team finish as runners-up in Group K.

"We asked Fifa if this is possible to take this into consideration, because the tickets are little bit expensive," Veron Mosengo-Omba, the president of DR Congo's football federation (Fecofa), told BBC Sport Africa.

"They are punished because they cannot get [in to 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 US is hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, with tickets as much as seven times more expensive than the 2022 tournament in Qatar because of Fifa's dynamic pricing model.

The Leopards face Portugal in their opener on 17 June, meaning any fans travelling from DR Congo to watch the match in Houston needed to depart the country on Tuesday to satisfy US entry restrictions.

In response to Fecofa's request, Fifa told the BBC it "will look into it in due course".

The world governing body's standard policy dictates tickets are listed for resale or transferred to another individual rather than refunded, reserving the latter option for exceptional circumstances like match cancellations.

DR Congo's second group fixture against Colombia will take place in Guadalajara, and the bulk of Congolese fans are now expected to redirect their travel plans to Mexico.

The final group match against Uzbekistan will take place back in the US in Atlanta.

Despite the fan lock-out, the team itself remains unaffected by the US' entry restrictions.

All 26 players in Sebastien Desabre's squad, and most of the technical staff, are based outside of the country.

Team officials who are from DR Congo have already left the country to meet the 21-day quarantine requirement.

The Leopards did have to cancel a pre-tournament training camp in Kinshasa and are assembling in Belgium for friendlies before heading to their base in Texas.

Fifa told the BBC it is in "close communication" with Fecofa, World Cup host governments and relevant health agencies to ensure medical and security compliance.

A half-century wait

DR Congo holds pride of place as the first sub-Saharan country to compete at the World Cup, featuring in 1974 when it was called Zaire.

For Mosengo-Omba, their return after a 52-year absence marks a rebirth.

"This is the resurrection of football in this country," he declared.

"People forget their problems now they are following the Leopards. The team need to go to the second round."

Mosengo-Omba was elected Fecofa president this month after stepping down from his role as the secretary general of the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

He departed in March following the fall-out from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, having previously been criticised for staying in office past Caf's mandatory retirement age of 63.

But Mosengo-Omba, who was previously chief member associations officer at Fifa, is excited by his new role.

"With the new leaders, we bring the football of this country in the very high level," he said.

"We are not saying that we will win the Afcon or World Cup, but we will build a solid foundation for the future."

'The world does not need to be afraid'

The diplomatic hurdle comes amid mounting global panic over yet another Ebola outbreak - with DR Congo at the epicentre of several outbreaks since the deadly virus was discovered in the 1970s.

Mosengo-Omba, however, has warned that perceptions about the disease are causing unnecessary anxiety.

"Some people are thinking Ebola is genetic, it's a contamination," he stated.

"It's ignorance about this disease.

"Okay, there's Ebola in DRC, in Ituri, in the rural parts. Because Congo is big, it's not because you are from DRC you get Ebola immediately.

"The country in the world who knows how to fight this disease is DRC because we have faced this many times.

"The world doesn't need to be afraid."

However, this latest outbreak has been caused by the rare Bundibugyo viral strain, which has not been seen for over a decade.

With no vaccine currently available, it is harder to treat.

That, coupled with community distrust and armed conflict which has displaced tens of thousands of people in the Eastern part of DRC, have made it difficult for the outbreak to be contained.

Now it is threatening to overshadow a footballing moment decades in the making.