Fancy paying seven times more for a World Cup ticket you can’t even use? That’s the nightmare facing DRC fans right now.

Here’s the lowdown, as reported by cbinews.tv:

The Democratic Republic of Congo has formally asked FIFA to refund fans who snapped up 2026 World Cup tickets – because, thanks to US Ebola travel rules, they literally can’t get into the country.

It’s a massive blow. The Leopards are heading to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, but the celebrations are already being dampened by a health crisis sweeping parts of Central and East Africa.

Since the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern back on 16 May, US authorities have slammed the door shut. Anyone who’s been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days isn’t getting in.

The numbers are sobering. Health officials have logged over 900 suspected Ebola cases and 223 possible deaths since the outbreak began, with the DRC hit hardest.

The knock-on effect? The US Embassy in Kinshasa has paused visa services, meaning Congolese fans hoping to cheer on their team in the States are stuck.

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

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

And he’s not wrong about the prices. The 2026 World Cup – split between the US, Canada and Mexico – is using FIFA’s dynamic pricing. Some tickets are going for up to seven times what fans paid in Qatar 2022.

The DRC are due to play Portugal on 17 June in Houston, Group K. But to meet US entry rules, fans would’ve needed to leave the country weeks ago and quarantine elsewhere. Many are now looking at skipping the US altogether and just catching the Colombia game in Guadalajara, Mexico.

FIFA told the BBC it would “look into the matter in due course.” Normally, they push resales or transfers over refunds, unless a match gets cancelled or something truly exceptional happens.

The team itself should be fine. Most of coach Sébastien Desabre’s 26-man squad play abroad. Staff based in the DRC have already left to serve the required quarantine. The planned Kinshasa training camp got binned though – the squad’s now meeting up in Belgium before heading to their Texas base.

Let’s not forget: the DRC, formerly Zaire, were the first sub-Saharan African nation to play at a World Cup, back in 1974. For Mosengo-Omba, this return is huge.

“It’s the resurrection of football in this country. Today, people are forgetting their problems to follow the Leopards.”

Attribution: cbinews.tv

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