Zambia women's national team players to miss NWSL games while undergoing Ebola travel restriction protocols

Three members of the Zambian women's national team will miss multiple NWSL games while following a multi-week Centers for Disease Control (CDC) protocol due to Ebola travel restrictions, the league announced Friday.

In a statement shared with multiple outlets, the NWSL said that the players are all "in excellent health," though they did not name any of the specific players affected.

"Following their participation with the Zambian Women's National Team during the recent international window, several players are currently observing U.S. government public health re-entry protocols required for travelers returning from the East African region," the league said in the statement. "The NWSL is working with its clubs and U.S. immigration to ensure the players' safe return; all players are in excellent health."

The Copper Queens played two matches against Uganda over the past week as part of CAF qualification for the 2028 Olympics, playing the team in Uganda on Oct. 8 before playing in Zambia on Oct. 13. The Zambian team lost the first game 2-1, before earning a decisive 4-1 win at home.

Current CDC guidelines indicate that non-U.S. citizens traveling from Uganda (along with the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan) must wait 21 days before returning to the United States due to concerns about an Ebola outbreak.

The 21-day period, which presumably dates back to when they left Uganda after the first match, will seemingly expire toward the end of October. The final games of the NWSL regular season will all take place on Nov. 1 in a Decision Day format, with all games kicking off at 5 p.m. ET.

Three NWSL players, all forwards, were called up to the Zambian team during this window: Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda, Angel City FC's Prisca Chilufya and Chicago Stars' Racheal Kundananji.

With the current timeline, Banda, Chilufya and Kundananji seem likely to miss a minimum of two games, if not all three games left in the regular season.

Banda has been one of the top scorers in the league over the past few years, currently sitting second on the league's scoring list with 17 goals. Kundananji was just acquired by Chicago last week after three seasons with Bay FC.

Only Chilufya is on a team that is still in the playoff race: Angel City is currently in sixth place in the league and striving to stay in the top eight in order to advance to the postseason. The Stars are dead last in the league and have been out of the playoffs for weeks; the Pride are in 11th place, and are functionally eliminated from the postseason.