Haiti to play World Cup warmup matches in South Florida vs. New Zealand, Peru
Haiti’s World Cup team will play two warmup matches in South Florida to prepare for its historic return to the tournament.
The first game will be June 2 against New Zealand at Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and the second will be June 5 against Peru at Nu Stadium in Miami (Inter Miami’s new stadium, which opened last month).
“These two matches in Miami against New Zealand and Peru are part of a very intentional approach from the Federation,” said Karl-Philippe Alexis, head of marketing and communications for the Haitian Football Federation. “On the sporting side, we want to continue testing ourselves against teams with different profiles as we build toward the next phase of our preparation.
“But beyond that, Miami represents something deeper for us. We have one of the most engaged and passionate diasporas in world football, and these games are an opportunity to bring the national team closer to them. For many Haitians living abroad, this is not just about football, it’s about connection, pride, and identity.”
Alexis anticipates large crowds for the two matches.
“We expect a strong mobilization because we’ve seen time and again that when the diaspora is called upon, they show up,” he said. “Our objective is to create moments where the team and its supporters can reconnect, while also reinforcing the sense that this national team belongs to all Haitians, wherever they are in the world.”
Kickoff times were still being finalized as of Monday morning. Presale tickets are expected to go on sale on Tuesday morning with general public sales beginning later in the day. Tickets will be priced at $50 and up.
The federation is also trying to get the team to visit Cap-Haitien ahead of the World Cup in order to give fans a chance to see the team. The players themselves, most of whom are based outside of Haiti, are asking for this. Haiti ‘s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime is also planning to attend at least one of the games in the United States.
In addition to the World Cup tune-up matches in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Haiti will have its tournament base camp in Port St. Lucie.
Haiti, the soccer-loving Caribbean nation that has been besieged by gang violence and economic instability, has one of the most compelling teams in the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off June 11 and runs through July 19.
Haiti is playing in the World Cup for the first time in 52 years and qualified despite not playing a single qualifying match at home due to violence. No team in history had ever done that.
Jubilant Haitian fans flooded the streets when the team qualified and were delighted a few weeks later when the draw revealed that Haiti is in the same group as Brazil. Haitian fans have long admired the Brazilian team and fashion their play after the Brazilian fancy-passing style.
Morocco and Scotland are the other two teams in the group.
Haiti will play its opening match against Scotland on June 13 in Boston. Its second game against Brazil is on June 19 in Philadelphia and its third game against Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
Haiti’s last appearance at the World Cup was 1974. Philippe Vorbe, who was on the national team, played as a midfielder. It was always his hope to see Haiti once more qualify for another World Cup before he died. When they qualified, he was ecstatic, saying, “my heart is overflowing with joy. We qualified, we are going to the World Cup. It’s a victory for all Haitians.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 12:35 PM.