Haiti withdraws from 2026 FIFA World Cup amid funding and security woes

The Haitian national football team, known as the Grenadiers, announced a last‑minute withdrawal from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Officials cited unresolved logistical and administrative challenges, chronic financing shortfalls, and persistent security instability that have plagued the Haitian Football Federation for years. The decision ends Haiti’s rare appearance on football’s biggest stage, depriving the expanded 48‑team tournament of a small‑nation story and reducing CONCACAF’s representation.

In the days leading up to the scheduled match against Scotland, the city of Saint‑Marc staged a large patriotic rally, with citizens, civil‑society groups, schools, religious institutions and businesses displaying flags and chanting support for the team and standout defender Ricardo Adé. Organisers highlighted the rally as a celebration of the nation’s historic qualification and a call for unity, even as the subsequent withdrawal underscored the depth of Haiti’s institutional and security crises.