By MMJ Immanuel Ben Misagga
Emeritus President, SC Villa and Nyamityobora FC
Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola, Congo-Brazzaville, these are not distant nations from the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are neighbors. We share borders, trade routes, cultures, and families. We interact every single day without panic or hysteria.
Yet suddenly, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, African travelers are increasingly being treated as a health threat. Visa denials rise. Delays increase. Suspicion grows. And the explanation quietly pushed to the front is Ebola.
Let us be honest and factual: Uganda is not facing an Ebola crisis that justifies the blanket suspicion now surrounding African football fans. Uganda has confronted Ebola before — and defeated it. Under President Yoweri Museveni, Uganda has faced Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19 with resilience, discipline, and experience. Our health systems know containment. Our scientists know surveillance. Our people know vigilance.
That is why many Africans are asking a simple question: why now?
Why does fear suddenly intensify when African fans begin preparing for the world’s biggest sporting event? Why are ordinary supporters from East and Central Africa being viewed through a lens of suspicion simply because of geography?
The World Cup is supposed to unite humanity. It is meant to bring nations together through football, culture, and shared celebration. But when African fans feel unwelcome before the tournament has even begun, the spirit of that unity is weakened.
There is also growing frustration among ordinary people who spend large amounts of money on visa applications, travel planning, and documentation, only to face silence, delays, or rejection. For many, it feels less like a fair process and more like a system designed to discourage African participation from the very beginning.
Public health matters. No responsible person argues against health precautions. But precaution must be balanced with fairness, science, and dignity.
If health screening is truly the concern, then modern solutions already exist. During previous global tournaments and international events, countries used advanced screening systems at airports and entry points to detect and manage health risks in real time. Similar measures can be implemented today at African departure airports and arrival terminals abroad. Test travelers. Screen passengers. Verify safety scientifically. But do not stigmatize entire populations.
Football cannot preach inclusion while quietly excluding certain regions of the world through fear and bureaucratic barriers.
FIFA and CAF must pay attention to the concerns growing among African supporters. African fans are not outsiders to the World Cup story. We are part of its heartbeat. African players fill the world’s greatest clubs. African audiences power television markets. African passion gives football much of its soul.
To deny African supporters equal access to the global game is to undermine the very idea of the World Cup.
I have followed international football for decades. I watched the European Championship finals in Germany in 1988 and France in 2016. I witnessed the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010 a proud moment for the African continent. But today, many African supporters feel as though invisible walls are being built around this next tournament.
That feeling matters.
This issue is bigger than football. It is about dignity. It is about whether Africans are treated as equal citizens of the world when global moments arrive.
African governments, football federations, and CAF should not remain silent if ordinary fans are being unfairly discouraged or excluded. They must engage FIFA and host governments constructively and demand transparent, fair, and evidence-based processes for African travelers.
The World Cup belongs to the world — not only to wealthy nations, and not only to countries considered politically convenient or “safe” enough.
Africa has contributed too much to global football to stand quietly at the gate while others decide whether we belong inside.
If the doors are closing unfairly, then Africa must raise its voice peacefully, firmly, and together.
Because football without Africa is not a World Cup. It is only half the world cheering.
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