Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a scheduled international friendly match between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chile in southern Spain has been scrapped after local authorities cited public health risks tied to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo. The match, planned for June 9 in the coastal resort city of La Linea de la Concepcion, was officially blocked by a decree signed by the city’s mayor Juan Franco.
Franco confirmed the move was implemented as a precautionary step, following formal recommendations from both the Andalusian regional health authority and the city’s own municipal medical department. “A report from the head of La Linea’s mayoral health service categorically advised against hosting the match due to the potential public health risks that could emerge,” the mayor explained in a statement.
La Linea, a city of roughly 65,000 residents located in Spain’s Cadiz province near the Gibraltar border, was selected as the host venue for the warm-up fixture as both nations finalized their 2026 World Cup preparation plans. DR Congo, which qualified for the tournament for the first time in more than 50 years, has already relocated its entire pre-tournament setup outside of the country due to the Ebola outbreak. The team is currently holding its training camp in Belgium after canceling a planned camp in the DR Congo capital of Kinshasa.
According to reporting from BBC Sport, all of DR Congo’s senior squad players, who currently compete for club sides outside of the African nation, have not traveled back to their home country recently. However, a number of the team’s support staff and traveling fans have made the journey from DR Congo to Europe in recent weeks, prompting ongoing health screenings and safety discussions.
The Ebola outbreak currently impacting eastern DR Congo is caused by Bundibugyo, a rare strain of the virus for which no licensed vaccine is currently available. The World Health Organization has publicly stated that it could take as long as nine months to develop and deploy an effective vaccine for this specific strain, which has put global and regional public health bodies on high alert. Multiple countries have already implemented travel restrictions in response to the outbreak: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an entry ban for non-U.S. citizens who have traveled through DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the 21 days prior to their intended arrival.
DR Congo’s upcoming international schedule remains partially intact for now: the team is still set to face Denmark in a friendly match in Liege, Belgium this Wednesday. Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, DR Congo has already arranged to base its tournament operations in Houston, Texas, and will kick off its Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17. After the opening match, the side will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico to face Colombia, before returning to the U.S. to conclude group stage play against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.