The US government has finally granted the visa to Woodensky Pierre, the member of Haiti’s national soccer team, to travel and participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026 after days of uncertainty regarding his participation in the tournament. Pierre is the sole home-based player on Haiti’s national soccer team and there had been fears that he would miss out on the tournament as the administration of US president Donald Trump extended travel restrictions on countries, and Haiti is among those nations that comes under the visa restrictions. While all the other 25 members of the squad are overseas-based and were granted their visas earlier for the World Cup. However Pierre has now been given permission to travel to the US and the crucial clearance allows the young midfielder to join his teammates in Florida for the upcoming World Cup.Haiti’s football federation spokesperson, Thecieux Jeanty, confirmed to the media that Pierre boarded a flight to Florida on Tuesday to immediately link up with the national camp.“It was a great moment for him, a moment of happiness,” Jeanty said to the press. Supporters gathered around Pierre as he arrived at the airport in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. Airport workers sought to have photos with him, while his mother hugged him several times before his departure for the marquee event.Among the crowd was an ecstatic fan, Guy Ernst Phillipe, who hugged Pierre and proudly said, “We could not be any more proud… I’m touching history right now.”Pierre’s journey to the world’s biggest stage of the game is quite remarkable. The defensive midfielder who plays for the Haitian club Violette AC, hails from Cite Soleil, a seaside neighborhood that has long struggled with hunger, massacres and gang violence. It is located in western Port-au-Prince with gangs controlling roughly 70% of the capital city.Pierre had been training with local players in an upscale area of Port-au-Prince as he awaited the visa. The team’s stadium in Haiti’s capital was considered too dangerous due to safety concerns and the North American country was forced to play its home World Cup qualifiers over 1,000 kilometers away in Curaçao.Pierre’s teammates arrived in Florida last week to start preparing for the World Cup. It is only the second time the country has ever qualified for the World Cup, with their lone previous appearance coming more than half a century ago in 1974. Haiti opens their World Cup campaign on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against Scotland. They will then face heavyweights and five-time world champions Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia, before finishing their group fixtures against Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta. For the Haitian fans their travel to the world cup is still uncertain as travel bans and visa restrictions prevent most general supporters from attending the matches.
