World Cup Grenadiers greeted by cheering crowds in southern Haiti

LES CAYES — Hundreds of residents lined the streets of Les Cayes on July 9 to welcome Grenadiers Duckens Nazon and Josué Duverger as the pair continued a nationwide tour celebrating Haiti’s return to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 52-year absence.

After stops in Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince, the two players arrived by helicopter at Antoine-Simon International Airport, where hundreds of supporters, local officials and musicians gathered to greet them before escorting them through the city.

Arriving by helicopter at Les Cayes’ Antoine-Simon International Airport, the pair of Haitian internationals were met by local dignitaries from the Southern Departmental Delegation, City Hall, and the regional Tourism Ministry. 

“I feel good. This is my mother’s birth department, she is from the South,” the Haitian striker confided in front of Antoine-Simon airport.

Outside the airport, supporters waved flags, chanted the players’ names and held handmade signs as a procession of motorcycles and vehicles escorted Nazon and Duverger through the streets of Les Cayes.

The city’s mayor, Claire Daphnée France, said the players’ World Cup journey had given Haitians something to celebrate during a difficult period for the country.

“After 52 years, you allowed Haiti to return to the World Cup. You did not return with a trophy, but you returned with the pride of an entire people,” she said.

In the city downtown, another crowd gathered with members of the Lobèy Rara group, turning the visit into a street celebration. Fans took photos, greeted the players and thanked them for representing Haiti on football’s biggest stage.

Among the chants heard throughout the celebration was “Débloke peyi a” — “Free the country” — a slogan that has come to symbolize hope and national unity throughout Haiti’s World Cup participation.

Nazon, who has built a close relationship with supporters, stepped into the crowd to greet fans along the route.

The visit continued beyond the celebrations in Les Cayes.

Nazon and Duverger traveled to Camp-Perrin, where they visited the Saut-Mathurine waterfall and met with residents. Nazon also visited some of the more than 40 homes he built for families displaced by the devastating August 2021 earthquake in the nearby town of Raymond as part of his ongoing charitable work.

As he did during his visit to Cap-Haïtien, Nazon ended the day on a football field, spending time with children and playing an informal match at Carrefour Bouette in Camp-Perrin.

Scenes from Les Cayes visit: 

Members of Les Grenadiers World Cup team greeted by cheering crowds in southern Haiti

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