As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws near, Haiti is making unprecedented preparations to turn its historic first-ever participation in the global football tournament into a transformative moment that redefines the country’s international image. Top-tier government officials gathered for a strategic planning meeting at the direct request of Prime Minister Garry Conille Fils-Aimé, bringing together cabinet leaders from five key ministries and agencies to coordinate national and international efforts surrounding the event.
Attendees at the high-level meeting included Stéphanie Smith, Minister of Tourism; Pythagore Dumas, Minister of Youth and Sports; Raina Forbin, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kathia Verdier, head of the Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE); and Emmanuel Ménard, Minister of Culture. The gathering marked the official launch of a country-wide mobilization initiative that extends far beyond the scope of athletic competition, framing the World Cup as a rare global platform to showcase Haiti’s underrecognized strengths.
Planned efforts are structured around two core pillars: domestic organization and international outreach, with a central focus on uniting Haitian communities at home and abroad ahead of the tournament. A key strategic component of the initiative centers on leveraging the global Haitian diaspora, with MHAVE tasked with leading outreach and engagement efforts to connect millions of Haitians living outside the country to the national team’s historic run.
The core end goal of the mobilization is to build widespread, sustained support for Haiti’s national men’s football team, nicknamed the Les Grenadiers. Plans call for coordinated efforts to drive massive fan attendance at team matches in host stadiums, organize community-focused patriotic events across Haiti and diaspora hubs, and launch solidarity campaigns that center Haiti’s positive attributes on the world stage.
Beyond supporting the team, officials frame the initiative as a long-overdue opportunity to highlight the Caribbean nation’s untapped tourism opportunities, rich cultural heritage, and the strength of its people. This World Cup participation is positioned as a chance to showcase the Haitian population’s well-known resilience, creativity, courage, and national pride, as the country works to turn the page on decades of negative international coverage and write a new, more hopeful chapter in its modern history.