CAF General Assembly: Ebola epidemic leaves plans in doubt

The next Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Assembly, set to take place in Kinshasa, DR Congo on October 6, could be moved to a later date. The assembly will be the 47th edition.

According to Senegalese outlet Sud Quotidien, the final games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers and the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo could be the main reasons for the postponement of the event. CAF has not yet postponed the assembly, as Kinshasa is still expected to host it in October 2025.

The final stage of World Cup qualifying from the African region will begin at the start of October, and matches will be played on the day of the general assembly. The Senegalese daily claimed that federation heads would rather follow their respective national teams than attend the assembly.

The Ebola outbreak in Kasai province, with 48 cases and 31 deaths as of September 17, has been reported by the World Health Organization. While the outbreak is approximately 800 km from Kinshasa, it is causing concern among some football officials. This has been refuted by CAF Secretary General Véron Mosengo-Omba, who stated in a direct letter to federation heads that no cases have been detected in Kinshasa.

Kinshasa was chosen as the host for the 46th Ordinary General Assembly, but due to undisclosed reasons, the DRC said it was unable to host the event as Addis Ababa hosted it in 2024. CAF still selected Kinshasa to host the 47th edition of the General Assembly.