U.S. Grants Visa to Haitian Soccer Player Ahead of World Cup Join-Up

The U.S. government has granted a visa to Woodensky Pierre, the only member of Haiti’s national soccer team who lives in Haiti, allowing him to travel to the United States and join the squad for the World Cup, according to Haiti’s soccer federation. Federation spokesperson Thecieux Jeanty said Pierre was scheduled to leave for Florida on Tuesday, marking a major relief for the player and the team after a wait that had delayed his departure.

Pierre had been training in Port-au-Prince with local players while he awaited the visa. Haiti’s capital has faced severe security problems, and the national team was unable to use its home stadium there because it was considered too dangerous. As a result, Haiti played its home World Cup qualifying matches in Curaçao instead. Pierre, who is from Cite Soleil, has grown up in one of Port-au-Prince’s most troubled neighborhoods, where hunger and gang violence have long affected daily life.

Haiti’s qualification for the World Cup is historic. It will be the country’s second appearance on soccer’s biggest stage and its first in more than 50 years. Team members arrived in Florida last week to begin preparations. Pierre’s arrival will allow the full squad to train together ahead of the tournament.

Haiti is scheduled to play warmup matches against New Zealand on Tuesday and Peru on Friday as part of its final preparation. The team will open World Cup play on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against Scotland. Haiti’s group stage schedule also includes a June 19 match against five-time champion Brazil in Philadelphia and a June 24 meeting with Morocco in Atlanta.

For Haiti, the trip represents both a sporting achievement and a symbolic moment amid difficult conditions at home. The team’s return to the World Cup comes after decades away from the tournament, and Pierre’s long-awaited visa clears one of the final obstacles before the squad begins its competition in the United States.