Haiti’s U-17 men’s soccer team chases back-to-back World Cup appearances

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Qualifying once for a FIFA U-17 World Cup is rare for Haiti. Doing it twice in a row would be unprecedentedly monumental for the young Haitian players.

Haiti’s under-17 men’s soccer team will begin its campaign to qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup on Thursday when Les Petits Grenadiers face Grenada in the opening match of the Concacaf qualifiers’ first phase.

“We believe in the players,” head coach Kowsky Sainvil said in a video interview by the Haitian Football Federation (FHF). “Not many young players get the opportunity to play in two consecutive World Cups. They understand what’s at stake and want to write their names in history.”

Haiti has been placed in Group C and will play all three of its matches at Progreso Cementos Stadium in Guatemala City.

Haiti’s Group C schedule

• Haiti vs. Grenada — Feb. 5, 4 p.m. ET
• Haiti vs. Antigua and Barbuda — Feb. 7, 5 p.m. ET
• Haiti vs. Guatemala — Feb. 10, 7 p.m. ET

All matches will be streamed live on Concacaf’s YouTube channel.

Just three months ago, Haiti competed in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, losing all matches — to Egypt (4-1), England (8-1) and Venezuela (4-2) — in the group stage. It marked Haiti’s fifth World Cup appearance across all age groups for men’s and women’s teams. 

Beginning in 2025, FIFA shifted the U-17 World Cup to an annual competition, running through 2029, while expanding the field from 24 to 48 teams. The format increases Haiti’s chances of qualifying again and provides greater exposure for young talent. Haiti’s U-17 women’s team advanced to the next qualifying phase earlier this week.

On the U-17 team, seven players from the 2025 World Cup squad are eligible and included in the current roster. Among those to watch are goalkeeper Clifford Gene and winger Emerson Laissé, both of whom play for Mount Pleasant Academy in Jamaica. Laissé recently completed a 10-day trial with Spain’s Real Sociedad and was named tournament MVP during a December competition, according to sports reporter Caleb Jephté Pierre.

Winger Franco Celestin, one of Haiti’s standout players in Qatar, is no longer eligible since he is now 17.

Coach Sainvil, who replaced Eddy César in January, previously coached AS Capoise and Real Hope Football Academy in the Haitian League. He said the objective is straightforward.

“The goal is simple and clear: Do it again,” Sainvil said. “That means working hard and fighting to qualify for our country.”

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