This story is part of a series celebrating soccer cultures around the world—and the communities shaped by them. Read more 2026 World Cup coverage here.
I remember the exact Sunday when I realized what a big deal the World Cup was for my Catholic, Haitian immigrant mother: It was summer 1994 and in an unprecedented move, she made us leave mass early to go watch Brazil play against Italy in the final. I was raised in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti in Flatbush and in our community there was never an excuse to miss church. Yet here she was sneaking us out before the final blessing. My six-year-old-brain had barely begun to really process sports—and Haiti wasn’t even playing in the tournament—but I knew then that this would be something worth sneaking out of church for the rest of my life.
This summer the churches in Haiti proper might just schedule masses around the games. Le Grenadiers, Haiti’s national soccer team, have not qualified for the World Cup since 1974, during which they were knocked out of the group stage. Fifty-two years later and we’re back in it, facing off against Scotland on June 13 in Boston.
Seeing something your parents have only witnessed once in their lifetime brings a sense of elation that can’t easily be described. Jerry Casamir, a Haitian from Florida recalls, “When they qualified I was in South Korea in my hotel room screaming at the top of my lungs!” Online, the scenes from Haiti were pure pandemonium. Thousands gathered in the streets marching and chanting in joy across the country. On Haitian soil or abroad, old or young, the 2026 World Cup has become something we can all celebrate together.
For Washington DC resident Jemmy Marc, who was born in Haiti, the country’s qualification makes the tournament a must-attend event. “As soon as the results were final, I immediately called a friend of mine to celebrate and we set plans into motion to go see them,” he says. Attending the group stage within the borders of the US is an alluring option, of course, but for the Haitian diaspora, there is equal appeal in traveling to watch the games with friends and family back home—an option that’s not currently possible.
The country remains in a humanitarian crisis following the 2021 earthquake and attempted coup d’etat. Gangs of local and international mercenaries are currently keeping Haiti in a constant state of violence and turmoil. The airport in the capital of Port-Au-Prince is closed. The national team has been unable to play any matches at their home stadium in Port-Au-Prince; they have instead competed largely outside of the country. Over a million Haitians are internally displaced. Meanwhile the US government continues its travel ban for Haitian passport holders.
