Haiti player’s U.S. visa ordeal reveals obstacles facing some World Cup countries

The only player on Haiti’s national soccer team who was based in the violence-torn country during the qualifying campaign for this year’s FIFA World Cup has finally joined his teammates in Florida after running into difficulties securing a U.S. visa.

Woodensky Pierre, a midfielder who helped Haiti end its 52-year absence from soccer’s biggest stage, landed at Miami International Airport from Cap-Haïtien at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. He was greeted by Marie Monique André, head of the Haitian Football Federation’s Normalization Committee, and Yverick Delerme Cyril, Haiti’s consul general in Miami.

As Cyril’s phone buzzed with calls from Haiti’s prime minister, foreign minister and federation officials seeking updates on Pierre’s arrival, the midfielder was rushed to Fort Lauderdale’s Chase Stadium. He arrived just in time to watch his Les Grenadiers teammates rout New Zealand, 4-0, before a crowd of mostly blue-and-red clad Haitian fans.

As the crowd of 16,000 burst into victory chants and dance over the team’s victory, it erupted when it spotted Pierre walking onto the field after the final whistle.

Pierre’s visa ordeal had become a reminder of the immigration and political complications Haiti — and several other countries — find themselves facing as the World Cup approaches its opening matches in the United States., Canada and Mexico in less than two weeks.

Haiti is among four countries — along with Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal — in this year’s 48-World Cup whose nationals face U.S. travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump after his return to power last year. The measures have complicated travel not only for fans hoping to attend matches in the United States, but also for the players and team officials, despite exemptions for athletes, coaching staff and federation personnel.

Pierre received the U.S. visa on his personal passport. But other members of the federation are still waiting to know if they will be allowed to travel given the suspension of immigrant and non-immigrant visas for Haitian nationals. Federation spokesman Thecieux Jeanty said he did not know how many applications were still pending. Sources told the Miami Herald that the federation initially submitted a list of 17 names.

South Africa, Iran also face U.S. visa delays

Meanwhile, South Africa and Iran have also reported visa-related issues that have delayed their travel.

In a post on X, South Africa’s minister of sports, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, criticized their “visa debacle” as “embarrassing” and “grossly unfair” toward the players and coaching staff.

“We are being made to look like fools,” McKenzie wrote before later announcing in a Sunday evening post that “All Bafana Bafana players had received their visas to travel” to the U.S. and the charter plane would leave on Monday. However, he noted, the assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and an analyst were still awaiting travel approval.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the South African Football Association confirmed that the senior men’s national team’s visa challenges had delayed the group’s travel to North America as originally planned. They were “working around the clock,” the association said, to ensure that the team arrives as soon as possible, ahead of its opening match against the host Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026.

Iranian officials have said that the U.S. visa delays have placed the squad at a competitive disadvantage. As a result of its complications, the team was forced to relocate its base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico.

The issue came up during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday. Rubio told lawmakers the U.S. would not allow individuals with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to “embed” themselves within the country’s World Cup delegation.

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Even well-heeled Haitians won’t be able to travel

For Haiti, the travel ban extends beyond one player or federation members. The country qualified for the World Cup without having played any home matches — a first in the tournament’s history — because of gangs’ near control of the capital and takeover of the national stadium.

Still, Tuesday’s victory in front of thousands of Haitian fans underscored the importance of playing in front of a large and enthusiastic fan base. Yet, Haiti’s full ban means that Haitians without a valid U.S. visas will be unable to attend matches in person, even if they can afford tickets and travel expenses. The same is true for fans of Senegal and Ivory Coast, which are among a list of countries with partial restrictions on entry to the U.S.

Cyril, the consul general, said while he was doing his job as public servant to ensure Pierre made it to the stadium, he also felt fortunate as both a Haitian and a soccer fan.

“I am lucky to be able to enjoy this moment after 52 years,” he said, “and to be able to participate while sharing this momentum.“

Good to have options in the arsenal

After Tuesday’s victory against New Zealand, Haiti Coach Sébastien Migné said Pierre’s arrival completed his 26-man squad and sets the stage not just for Friday’s friendly against Peru at Inter Miami’s stadium in Miami but its World Cup matches. Haiti opens group play against Scotland in Boston on June 13, faces Brazil in Philadelphia on June 19 and concludes the group stage against Morocco in Atlanta on June 24.

If Haiti hopes to advance to the Round of 16, Migné said, success will require contributions from far more than the starting 11.

“It’s going to require a much broader squad,” he said. “There will also be ‘finishers’—players coming off the bench during the match. We can make up to five substitutions in official games. So, there it is: we are expanding our possibilities, particularly on the offensive front.”

Noting that Haiti is returning to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years, Migné added, “a lot could happen.”

“It’s good to have several options in our arsenal,” he added. ”Today we showed that we can count on the entire squad—even with the score at 1-0.”

Jacqueline Charles

Miami Herald

305-376-2616

Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.