The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially requested that FIFA reimburse its fans for the 2026 World Cup tickets, as they are now unable to enter the United States due to health restrictions related to the Ebola outbreak.

For the first time since 1974, the Leopards will return to the world’s premier football competition without their fans in the stands.

Following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 16, US authorities have suspended entry to the country for anyone who has been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days.

According to WHO, more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola and 223 potential deaths have been reported since the start of the outbreak, with most infections in the DRC.

As a direct consequence, the US Embassy in Kinshasa has suspended its visa services, severely complicating travel for Congolese fans wishing to attend the World Cup.

“We have asked FIFA to take this situation into consideration, as tickets are very expensive,” said Veron Mosengo-Omba, president of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFA).

“Our fans are being punished when all they want is to support their team. We don’t want them to lose all their money.”

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is seeing particularly high prices due to FIFA’s dynamic pricing system with some tickets reportedly costing up to seven times more than those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled to face Portugal on June 17 in Houston, in Group K. To comply with US restrictions, Congolese fans would have had to leave the country several weeks in advance.

FIFA stated that it would “look into the matter in due course.”