Once may be an achievement, twice a coincidence, but three times is confirmation: Haitian football continues to make history, despite the lack of official competitions in the country for more than four years.
Haiti’s U-17 men’s national team has once again left its mark on world football. After the senior team’s qualification in 1974 in Germany, the U-17 team’s appearances in 2007 and 2019, and the senior women’s team’s performance in 2024, Haiti has secured another spot in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
In 2025, for the third time in this category, the young Grenadiers, under the guidance of coaches Eddy César and Bruny Pierre-Richard, both former Haitian internationals, dominated the final qualifying phase in Guatemala. From February 11 to 16, they delivered a flawless performance:
- 5-0 victory against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 3-0 victory against Antigua and Barbuda
- 2-0 victory against Guatemala, the host country
With these three wins, Haiti finished at the top of Group E, thanks to a superior goal difference (+8 vs. +6 for Guatemala), securing the only available ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
An Attempt to Destabilize Haiti Before Qualification
Two days before the decisive match against Guatemala, the Guatemalan Football Federation requested FIFA to review the documents of three Haitian players, suspecting irregularities. Despite this attempt to destabilize the team, the match took place as scheduled on Sunday, February 16, in Tegucigalpa. Haiti responded on the pitch with a 2-0 victory, officially punching their ticket to the tournament, which will take place from November 2 to 27, 2025, in Qatar.
A Historic Qualification for Haiti
With three wins in three matches, 10 goals scored, and none conceded, Haiti completely dominated this qualifying phase. For the third time after 2007 and 2019, the Haitian flag will fly on the world stage at the U-17 FIFA World Cup.
In a difficult period for the Haitian people, this qualification brings hope and pride to millions of supporters facing challenging times.
Congratulations to the young Grenadiers for this exceptional achievement!
Eddy Bernadotte