As the World Cup approaches, the sole player from Haiti’s national soccer team still residing in the troubled Caribbean nation is in the process of securing a U.S. visa. This will enable him to join his teammates in Florida just weeks before the prestigious tournament begins.
Woodensky Pierre, a defensive midfielder, currently plays for Violette AC, a club based in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, where approximately 70% of the city is plagued by violent gang activity.
The remaining 25 players selected for Haiti’s World Cup squad are based in various international leagues, with players hailing from countries such as England, France, Portugal, Canada, and the United States.
This World Cup marks only the second time Haiti will compete on football’s global stage, the first being in 1974.
Thecieux Jeanty, a spokesperson for the Haitian soccer federation, noted that during the 1974 World Cup, all but one player in the Haitian squad lived and played within the country.
Currently, U.S. visas for Pierre and nearly a dozen officials from the Haitian soccer federation are pending, amid expanded travel restrictions under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which affect several countries, including Haiti.
Pierre continues to train at a field with synthetic grass in Pétion-Ville, an upscale area of Port-au-Prince, as he awaits his visa, “in hopes of being with his team as soon as possible,” Jeanty told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday.
“I hope he doesn’t have to live in (Haiti) after the World Cup,” Jeanty said. “It’s an opportunity to present himself to the world and await a contract.”
The team’s home stadium in Port-au-Prince — not far from the neighborhood where Pierre is from — was deemed too dangerous, forcing Haiti to play its “home” World Cup qualifiers in Curaçao.
Pierre is from Cite Soleil, a seaside slum that has endured violence and hunger for years and serves as a base for powerful gang leaders. Cite Soleil has seen multiple massacres and gang rapes, with violence recently displacing more than 5,300 people, according to the latest report from the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.
“It’s a source of pride for him,” Jeanty said of Pierre being able to play in the World Cup. “It’s satisfying for (soccer) officials and for the public, too. As you know, Haiti is in crisis.”
Pierre did not return messages seeking comment, and neither did the team’s coach.
Officials for Haiti’s squad arrived in Florida on Sunday, and players began training in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday. Three other players are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, Jeanty said.
There is still time to resolve Pierre’s situation. Haiti will play two World Cup warmup matches, first against New Zealand on Tuesday and then against Peru on June 5, in South Florida.
Haiti opens World Cup play on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against Scotland, then plays five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
Jeanty said he first made contact with Pierre in 2022, when they traveled together to Honduras for a under-20 match.
“I saw him as a top-level player,” Jeanty said, adding that “everybody’s very happy” to have Pierre on the team.
“There is soccer in Haiti,” Jeanty said. “It’s a country that wants to live.”
