Haiti, a devastated country whose heart beats to football’s rhythm | OneFootball

On an April Sunday, on a usually very busy street in Pétion-Ville, a ball rolls between the feet of a group of teenagers as cars swerve around them: Haiti’s heart beats for soccer, despite the political chaos, poverty, and crime.

The teenagers take over the street, using stones as goalposts. The ball moves from one player to another, and the young people seem carefree, but they stay focused on every play.

Historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup

Haiti’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America (from June 11 to July 19) comes as a breath of fresh air for this small country of nearly 12 million people.

The poorest nation in the Americas has for years been facing gang violence, which has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

“Soccer is hope and love. It inspires pride and enthusiasm,” Salomé Sandler Tally, founder and coach of club Aigle Noir AC (ANAC), told AFP.

“Qualifying for the World Cup is something special for a country that loves soccer so much. It’s incredible to have achieved this 52 years later,” she added.

The Haitians’ first appearance in the World Cup took place back in 1974, in West Germany.

“This qualification does not surprise me when I see the talent at the local level, the talent coming from the diaspora,” says the coach, referring to a country where 54% of the population is under 25.

Most of the players, led by Frenchman Sébastien Migné, play in Europe or North America.

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“Pagan ceremonies”

And despite the economic crisis, in early April the government allocated 264 million gourdes (about R$10 million at the current exchange rate) to the national team as a bonus for qualifying and as funding for preparations for the World Cup, in which Haiti will face Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland in Group C.

In Haiti, soccer is sacred and does not need a stadium. The country’s main sports venue, Sylvio Cator Stadium, has been closed since February 2024 because it is located in a Port-au-Prince neighborhood controlled by gangs, like 90% of the capital.

Even so, the sport is played everywhere: barefoot, in flip-flops or sneakers, on asphalt, dirt, or worn synthetic fields, in neighborhood leagues, interschool competitions, and tournaments bringing together professional and amateur clubs.

In a deeply religious country, summer vacation championships serve as “stages for pagan rituals that would make even the most fanatical blush,” according to Patrice Dumont, former senator and sports columnist.

“You see them in every community—wherever there is open space—ranging from 3-on-3 matches to full 11-on-11 games, and always drawing crowds of spectators.”

Hope for the youth

Evens Lezin, a 49-year-old amateur player, says that the presence of the ‘Grenadiers’ in the World Cup, despite not having played any of their qualifying matches on Haitian soil, will instill “hope” in Haiti’s youth.

“It is possible to move forward, but it takes discipline,” he says. “Nowadays, many young people turn to crime, struggle with alcoholism, smoke, and do not have healthy pastimes. But soccer can be a way out.”

Spaces for socialization

Soccer comes up in every conversation, cutting across generations and social circles. It is discussed in restaurants and supermarkets, in public squares or over the radio waves, in living rooms or while sitting on a ‘bout mi’ (wall).

“Soccer is probably one of the few spaces for socialization that a large segment of the youth still has access to. It is the conversation topic par excellence,” observes Marc Donald Orphée, 35, who describes himself as a passionate fan.

And although most players on Haiti’s national team, both men and women, play abroad, the geographic distance does nothing to diminish the public’s devotion.

Pierreline Nazon, 18, a standout on the women’s under-20 national team, is compared to her compatriot Melchie Dumornay, a midfielder and star for French club Lyon, a powerhouse in women’s soccer.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.