The only member of Haiti’s national football team based in the troubled Caribbean country is waiting for a US visa to join the squad in Florida just weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Woodensky Pierre is a defensive midfielder who plays for Violette AC in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 70 percent of that city is under siege by violent gangs.
The remaining 25 players in the World Cup squad play outside the country and come from competitions in England, France, Portugal, Canada and the United States, among others.
This year’s World Cup will be only Haiti’s second in its history; the country’s only other appearance on football’s biggest stage was in 1974.
Haitian Football Federation spokesman Thecieux Jeanty said all but one of the players on the 1974 World Cup team were living and playing in Haiti at the time.
U.S. visas for Pierre and nearly a dozen other Haitian federation officials have yet to be finalized as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration continues to expand travel restrictions on certain countries.
Pierre continues to train on an artificial turf field in Pétion-Ville, an upmarket area of Port-au-Prince, while he waits for his visa «in the hope of being able to join his team as soon as possible,» Jeanty said. The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
“I hope he doesn’t have to live in Haiti after the World Cup,” Jeanty said. “It’s an opportunity to present themselves to the world and wait for a contract.”
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The team’s home stadium in Port-au-Prince – not far from Pierre’s home neighborhood – was deemed too dangerous, forcing Haiti to play its “home” World Cup qualifier in Curacao.
Pierre comes from Cite Soleil, a coastal slum that has suffered years of violence and hunger and serves as a base for powerful gang leaders. Cite Soleil has experienced multiple massacres and gang rapes, with more than 5,300 people recently displaced by violence, according to the latest report from the UN 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 is satisfying for (football) officials and also for the public. As you know, Haiti is in crisis.»
Pierre did not return messages seeking comment, nor did the team’s coach.
Officials from the Haitian team arrived in Florida on Sunday and the players began training in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday. Three more players will arrive Wednesday, Jeanty said.
There is still time to resolve Pierre’s situation. Haiti will play two World Cup warm-up matches, first against New Zealand on Tuesday and then against Peru in South Florida on June 5.
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Haiti opens World Cup play against Scotland on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before playing five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
Jeanty said he first connected with Pierre in 2022, when they traveled to Honduras together for an under-20s competition.
“I saw him as a top-level player,” Jeanty said, adding that “everyone is very happy” to have Pierre on the team.
“There’s soccer in Haiti,” Jeanty said. “It is a country that wants to live.”
Published on May 28, 2026
