Andrew Giuliani, President Trump's point man for the upcoming World Cup, laid down a strict ultimatum Friday: the Democratic Republic of Congo's national soccer team must spend 21 days in isolation in Belgium—where they are currently training—or forfeit their chance to enter the United States for the tournament. The move comes as an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo and Uganda escalates, prompting global health alarms.
Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told ESPN that the White House has made its position unmistakably clear to FIFA, the Congolese team, and the government in Kinshasa. "We've made it very clear to the Congo government as well that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States," he said. "We cannot be any clearer."
The Congolese squad, drawn into Group H alongside Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, is scheduled to open its campaign June 17 in Houston, followed by matches June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and June 27 in Atlanta. All of the team's players and its French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside Congo—most of them in France—according to ESPN.
The World Health Organization last week declared the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a global public health emergency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 51 confirmed cases and 148 suspected deaths as of May 21, with an additional 575 suspected cases under investigation. Former CDC Director Robert Redfield warned Wednesday that the virus could "leak" into Tanzania, southern Sudan, and possibly Rwanda, raising the specter of a "very significant pandemic."
At least two U.S. citizens exposed to the virus are already quarantining in Europe. Giuliani confirmed that discussions are underway about sending CDC staff to Belgium to monitor the Congolese team. "If there are other people that are going to be coming in, they need to have a separate bubble from that team," he said, referring to team staff. "If they end up coming, and any of those people end up symptomatic, they are risking the entire team being able to come and compete in this World Cup."
The Trump administration has already moved to tighten borders. U.S. health officials announced Monday that foreign passport holders who have visited Uganda, Congo, or South Sudan within the past 21 days will be barred from entry. The State Department has also ordered all U.S.-bound American citizens and lawful permanent residents with recent travel to those three countries to fly through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced public health screening.
Giuliani stressed the administration's zero-tolerance posture: "We want to make sure that there is nothing that's going to come in or near our borders here on this." The harsh line echoes the Trump administration's broader crackdown on immigration and travel during public health crises, including earlier disputes over forcing legal immigrants to leave the country to apply for green cards.
The episode also highlights the intersection of global sports and national security, as the White House leverages the World Cup—a marquee event Trump has personally championed—to project toughness on disease control. Critics, however, warn that such unilateral measures risk alienating allies and disrupting international cooperation, much like the administration's contentious push for a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that sparked a GOP revolt.
For now, the Congolese team faces a stark choice: stay in their Belgian bubble and play in the World Cup, or break quarantine and watch from home. The clock is ticking.
