Overview:
Haiti’s U-17 girls’s group has been mathematically eradicated from World Cup qualifiers after heavy losses to Puerto Rico (3-1) and the U.S. (9-0), taking part in with out 5 key gamers as a result of visa points, together with their captain and beginning goalkeeper. Les Petites Grenadières nonetheless have yet another match left to play within the competitors, nevertheless it’s for honor.
CAP-HAÏTIEN — Haiti’s U-17 girls’s nationwide group was all however eradicated from World Cup qualifying after heavy losses to Puerto Rico and america, with visa points stopping 5 key gamers from touring.
With out a number of starters, Les Petites Grenadières fell 3-1 to Puerto Rico on March 17 and 9-0 to the U.S. on March 19. The outcomes made it mathematically unimaginable for Haiti to complete within the prime two of its group, ending its hopes of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Ladies’s World Cup in Morocco later this 12 months.
Amongst these absent had been star midfielders Kerdina Lamour and Dieunie Love Beaubrun, captain and defender Saraline Acher, beginning goalkeeper Guerda Charles and her backup Shama Jean-Baptiste. Members of the Haiti-based teaching workers additionally couldn’t make the journey, as host Costa Rica had refused them visas.
The absences shortly sparked frustration amongst followers, a lot of whom criticized the Haitian Soccer Federation (FHF) on social media.
“In the event you had been critical, the entire group would have been current,” Blanndine Alpha wrote on Facebook, echoing broader issues concerning the federation’s administration of youth groups.
Progress overshadowed by recurring points
The setback comes after months of optimism for Haitian soccer.
The senior males’s nationwide group certified for the World Cup in November, attracting high-profile foreign-born gamers like Sunderland AFC’s star ahead Wilson Isidor. The U-17 males additionally secured their spot in February for back-to-back participation and the ladies’s senior group appointed a world-class head coach in Pia Mariane Sundhage. On the similar time, the U-20 males’s group superior in its personal qualifying marketing campaign.
However the incapacity to safe visas for key gamers highlights ongoing administrative challenges which have repeatedly disrupted Haiti’s youth applications.
In July 2024, 9 Haiti-based gamers from the U-20 males’s group missed a qualifying match in Mexico for comparable causes. In consequence, Haiti underperformed and didn’t qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Brief-handed squad fuels ‘what if’ debate
Haiti entered the second spherical of qualifiers in sturdy kind, dominating weaker opponents 18-1 within the opening stage. However the group struggled with out its full roster.
In opposition to Puerto Rico, Haiti regarded disorganized defensively and lacked cohesion in midfield. The problems had been extra pronounced towards america, the place gamers had been usually left unmarked and struggled to take care of possession.
Some observers consider the result might have been completely different with a full squad, significantly towards Puerto Rico, although defeating america remained unlikely.
The qualification format permits group winners and the 2 greatest second-place groups to advance to the World Cup, scheduled for October and November in Morocco.
Followers expressed their frustration and help for the lacking gamers on-line, with some suggesting their presence might have modified the group’s trajectory.
“Kedi [Lamour] for those who had been right here and the Quantity 4 [Archer] we might haven’t misplaced the sport [against Puerto Rico],” Fritz Marceus commented on Facebook.
One match left, focus shifts forward
Haiti will shut out its qualifying marketing campaign towards Bermuda on March 22, aiming to complete on a constructive be aware.
Regardless of the elimination, the nation nonetheless has one other alternative to qualify for one more youth World Cup this 12 months, bringing the whole to 3 in a single 12 months. The U-20 males’s group is about to compete within the subsequent spherical of qualifiers, scheduled for July and August. Haiti’s opponents and venue for that closing section are usually not but recognized. Les Petits Grenadiers are awaiting Concacaf’s official draw and announcement of the host nation.
For now, nonetheless, the U-17 girls’s marketing campaign ends with renewed questions on logistics and preparation—points that proceed to shadow Haiti’s progress on the sector.