Port-au-Prince, Tuesday, October 21, 2025 — The draw for the Concacaf U-17 men’s qualifiers placed Haiti in Group C alongside Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada. These qualifiers will determine the teams advancing to the 21st edition of the FIFA U17 World Cup, to be held in Qatar in 2026.
The qualifying phase will run from February 3 to 12, 2026, in six host countries: Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
In total, 34 national teams will participate. Sides will play home-and-away fixtures within their groups, and the group winners will book places at the U17 World Cup in Qatar.
In total, 34 national teams will participate. Sides will play home-and-away fixtures within their groups, and the group winners will book places at the U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Full group draw (Concacaf)
- Group A: Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica
- Group B: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, Bahamas
- Group C: Haiti, Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada
- Group D: Panama, Cuba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados
- Group E: Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Women’s draw: Haiti’s U17s also set
A few days earlier, on October 15, 2025, Concacaf conducted the U-17 women’s draw. The first round will be played from January 24 to February 2, 2026, with matches hosted in Aruba, Bermuda, Curaçao, and Nicaragua.
Thirty nations will compete for places in Round 2, but only the six group winners plus the two best runners-up will advance.
Haiti’s U17 women’s team will play in Group C alongside Guatemala, the Cayman Islands, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda. Group C matches will be staged in Curaçao.
Haiti’s U17 women’s team will play in Group C alongside Guatemala, the Cayman Islands, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda. Group C matches will be staged in Curaçao.
In a broader context, both competitions have evolved. The U17 World Cup is now an annual event and has been expanded to 48 teams. Qatar will host the tournament from 2025 through 2029 under the new FIFA cycle aimed at broadening global representation.
U17 World Cup 2025: Haiti to face Egypt, England, and Venezuela
On the men’s side, the young Grenadiers are preparing for the 20th edition of the U17 World Cup, also in Qatar, set for November 3–25, 2025.
Haiti opens its Group E campaign against Egypt on November 4, then faces England on November 7, and Venezuela on November 10.
Haiti opens its Group E campaign against Egypt on November 4, then faces England on November 7, and Venezuela on November 10.
This will be Haiti’s third appearance at the U17 World Cup, following its previous appearances in 2007 (under coach Yves Philogène Labaze) and 2019 (under coach Webens Princimé). Egypt will also make its third appearance (after 1987 and 1997). England has five appearances and won the World title in 2017. Venezuela is participating in its second U-17 World Cup, following its appearance in 2013.
Full group draw for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025:
- Group C: Senegal, Croatia, Costa Rica, United Arab Emirates
- Group D: Argentina, Belgium, Tunisia, Fiji
- Group E: England, Venezuela, Haiti, Egypt
- Group F: Mexico, Republic of Korea, Côte d’Ivoire, Switzerland
- Group G: Germany, Colombia, DPR Korea, El Salvador
- Group H: Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Zambia
- Group I: United States, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Czech Republic
- Group J: Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Panama, Republic of Ireland
- Group K: France, Chile, Canada, Uganda
- Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia
Overall, the 2025–2026 window is pivotal for Haitian football, with national programs engaged on two fronts: regional qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup finals. These efforts reflect the youth sides’ aspirations to confirm Haiti’s developmental progress, increasingly recognized across the Caribbean and the region.
