Haiti-based players’ participation in FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers remains doubtful amid slow visa process

CAP-HAITIEN — Haiti’s under-20 men’s national team was initially supposed to start training for the World Cup qualifiers in Mexico on June 25. However, the Haitian Soccer Federation (FHF) did not request Mexican visas for the players in Haiti until June 27, a source told The Haitian Times. The young Grenadiers will start the last stage of the qualifiers on July 21, and some have said that players receiving visas by then are not guaranteed.

“They’re powerless,” Andy Bordenave, a former goalkeeper of the senior team, said of the FHF. “If you hear that the team will participate in anything with a visa involved, the players in Haiti who do not have an American passport or visa already should not be hopeful that they would travel and play.”

Haiti’s soccer federation has long struggled with poor management, but it has hit a new low in recent months. It is starting to become a pattern for Haiti-based players not to travel to games they were called up for and more.

For instance, goalkeeper Gooly Elien and defensive midfielder Woodensky Pierre did not travel to Barbados last month for Haiti’s first two qualifiers for the senior FIFA World Cup 2026. It is unknown why, and federation officials have yet to respond to The Haitian Times’ request for comments on the matter. Even overseas-based players came late to Barbados, as Haiti only had 11 players at training just five days before the qualifiers’ kick-off.

The Haitian Soccer Federation’s operation style mirrors problems in the larger society, plagued by sociopolitical instability and poor governance.

Prior to the issue, in March, six players in Haiti could not travel to French Guiana for a friendly because all flights were suspended due to escalating gang violence. 

As for the women’s team, the federation canceled two of their friendlies against Ecuador in May because some delegation members did not have visas to travel to the South American country. The federation said in a note that a “communication error” caused the cancellation.

For the U-20 team, 18 players, comprising 30% of head coach Angelo Jean-Baptiste’s 60-player pre-list, were based in Haiti.

The list was later decreased. Nine local players were retained and traveled to the Mexican Embassy in Port-au-Prince on June 27 to request visas. These players are  Myson Colo, Rapha Intervil, Adelson Belizaire, Clifford Louis Jean, Luckson Blaise, Romelus Wenkov, Schneilorens Lebrun, Wensley Raymonette and Rikanel Chery. 

The players took pictures and fingerprints, signed and left their passports at the embassy. They were told that they would receive their passports back on July 1, the source said. However, as of the time of this writing, the players have yet to hear from the Mexican Embassy.

Neither has the federation provided a new date for the start of the team’s training camp in Mexico.

Even if players do receive their visas, they will join the team late. Their preparation time for Haiti’s first game may be short, which may, in turn, affect their performances.

Haiti will face Mexico, Panama and Guatemala in the Concacaf Under-20 Championship. 

To make it to the last stage of the World Cup qualifiers, Haiti got the best of Cayman Islands 4-1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0 and drew with Puerto Rico 1-1 in the Concacaf U-20 Championship’s qualifiers in February.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Chile next year in a month to be announced.

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