An outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has raised questions for public health officials closely monitoring the situation, particularly ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the international travel that will come as a result of the global event.
Houston — and potentially Dallas — are likely to host the Congo men’s soccer team. The team is scheduled to train at a Houston rugby facility and stay near the Galleria Houston shopping center ahead of a June 17 match. If Congo advances as a group runner-up, the team would play a knockout match in Toronto on July 2. The winner of that match is then scheduled to play at AT&T Stadium — rebranded as Dallas Stadium for the tournament — on July 6.
However, the team’s ability to participate is potentially in question. The CDC issued a 30-day emergency order suspending entry to the U.S. for foreign nationals who visited Congo, Uganda or south Sudan within the last 21 days — the maximum incubation period for Ebola.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease is rare, but severe and often fatal. The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern late last week. The declaration indicates that the event is serious, poses a risk of international spread and requires a coordinated international response.
Health authorities say the Bundibugyo virus causes the current outbreak, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved treatments or vaccines. In a Sunday statement on X, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that a team of 35 experts from the WHO and the Congolese Ministry of Health had arrived in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province — where officials first reported the spread — along with 7 tons of emergency medical supplies and equipment.
As of May 18, the CDC confirmed 11 cases and 336 suspected cases, including 88 deaths, in Congo. The health agency reported two confirmed cases, including one death, in Uganda in people who traveled from Congo.
On Monday, the CDC announced that Dr. Peter Stafford, an American doctor working with a medical missionary organization in Congo, tested positive for Ebola. Stafford was evacuated to Germany and is receiving treatment, according to Serge, the missionary group for whom he was working. He tested positive after being exposed to the variant of the disease while doing a surgery in Congo hospital, where he has served since 2023. Two other doctors with Serge, one of whom is Stafford's wife, are isolating, alongside Stafford's children, who are being monitored for symptoms. The CDC said Monday that six Americans, in addition to Stafford, are expected to be moved out of the region to ensure they can be monitored and receive treatment.