Italy repechage to World Cup, Congo resigned to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo

While there are those who would like the Democratic Republic of Congo to be excluded there are now heading toward the World Cup debut match between the Leopards and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, in the United States, but without the massive presence of Congolese fans from Kinshasa, as initially planned after the Leopards’ historic qualification, which occurred 52 years after their last participation in this international competition.

The origin of this situation is the declaration of the 17th Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC. The health emergency has prompted the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa to temporarily suspend the issuance of visas to Congolese nationals.

To cope with this difficulty, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation is already focusing its attention on the second day of the tournament, scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, against Colombia. On that occasion, the minister explained, the government intends to facilitate the travel of a large number of Congolese fans for this match, which is considered decisive for the Leopards’ path in the competition.

“As a result of the Ebola epidemic declared in our country, the Embassy of the United States of America has temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Congolese citizens. This decision, accompanied by several conditions, makes it difficult to issue visas to the many fans determined to accompany and support our national team. Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation plans to have a large number of supporters travel to the second match in Mexico, which is very important for our team. Measures have already been taken in this regard,” the minister reassured in the meeting report read by Augustin Kibassa Maliba, minister of digital economy.

.In April this year, the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo had clinched qualification for the 2026 World Cup (United States, Canada and Mexico) by beating after extra time Jamaica 1-0 in the intercontinental playoff final played at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico. The DRC thus returns to participate in a World Cup 52 years after its first appearance.