Fighting is woven into the fabric of Haiti’s history. It helped the country to become one of the first independent nations in the Americas, as well as one of the most unlikely qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The Haitian national team played all of their World Cup qualifiers away from home, with their matches taking place in Curaçao. Despite the extra travel, they managed to qualify for the global showpiece for the first time in 52 years, an achievement that fills centre-back Ricardo Ade with pride.
“One of the characteristics of a Haitian is knowing that life itself is a fight”, the defender told FIFA. “Things have never been easy. You have the hope that they will change and you fight for it. We played the entire qualification campaign away from home, but we still felt the positive energy of our people. It will be the same at the World Cup. It’s great to know that we can bring them happiness. It’s a huge responsibility, but one that we carry with great affection and respect.”
Haiti secured their World Cup qualification on 18 November – celebrated in Haiti as Victory Day. When the tournament itself comes around, Les Grenadiers will need to find even more of that fighting spirit. Having been drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Morocco, Haiti face one of the toughest sets of fixtures in the competition.
“That’s the life of my people,” said Ade. “Haiti has always had to fight and it won’t be any different at the World Cup. The most important thing was getting to the World Cup. Once you’re there, any group is going to be difficult – we’re talking about a World Cup. We’re in a very tough group, but we have ways of inflicting damage. It’s a process, and we’ll take it step by step.”
Adversity is a prominent feature of Haiti’s history, and the same could be said for Ade’s own journey in football. Marked by dreams and setbacks, departures and returns, the defender left his homeland to pursue his goal. After plans to play in Thailand were derailed, he did a short stint with a lower division club in the USA before signing his first professional contract at the age of 26 with Chilean club Santiago Morning.
Since then, his career has taken him to new heights – especially in Ecuador, where he has been playing for giants LDU Quito since 2023.
“When I arrived in Ecuador, I felt like I had found my favourite place in the world, my second home,” he said. “I’m far away from my family, working for them and for myself. I’m very happy. I’ve found my place in the world, and I’m enjoying it.”
Of all of Haiti’s World Cup opponents, Brazil hold a special place in Ade’s memory. He was just 14 years old when the Seleção – featuring stars like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos – travelled to Port-au-Prince to play Haiti in a friendly.
The match became known as the ‘Game of Peace’ and was part of a disarmament campaign in the country. Despite a 6-0 defeat on the pitch, the occasion was something that Ade will never forget.
“I was still a kid, but I remember watching that match on TV so clearly,” said Ade. “We’re huge fans of Brazil, of Argentina… when those countries play, it’s a party. People take to the streets to celebrate.”
“My dream was to be on the pitch, sharing it with players who had already made a name for themselves, who played in the biggest leagues,” he added. “And hopefully I’ll have the chance to live out that dream this year against a team like Brazil. It’s unbelievable. I’ve been blessed by God. I can’t put it into words, it’s so exciting.”
Ade was too young to have been involved when those Brazilian stars played in Haiti, but he takes pride in having faced another player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. In 2018, ahead of the World Cup, Argentina hosted Haiti in a friendly at La Bombonera.
The defender did everything he could, but he was unable to stop Lionel Messi producing a typically magical night in Buenos Aires. With three goals and an assist, the No10 orchestrated a comfortable 4–0 win for La Albiceleste.
“Competing at that level, with so many people at La Bombonera, with Messi and [Sergio] Aguero on the pitch, it’s like being in a dream,” said Ade. “I still have that image… There’s a photo that did the rounds, with a team-mate and I on the floor, but that’s OK – that’s Messi, that’s what he does. It was fantastic to compete against them.”
“That’s also one of the beautiful things about the World Cup”, he continued. “We’ll come up against teams with great players, and we’ll compete.”
The World Cup draw has decided Haiti’s first three opponents, but if Ade could choose one more name to add to his personal ‘photo album’, it would be someone outside Group C.
“Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s my idol, a player I really admire,” he said. “His story speaks for itself, everything he’s achieved. He works really hard and I’m like that too.”
Ade, along with Haitians across the world, is counting down the days until he gets to experience something that, for a long time, felt far-fetched. On 13 June at Boston Stadium, Haiti will take to the pitch against Scotland in their opening match of the World Cup, where the entire nation will be represented by 11 players.
It will be more than just a game. On the pitch fans can expect to see the strength, beauty and unity of a nation that, no matter how or where, never stops fighting.
“When the national anthem plays, it will be the whole country [singing] – not a single person less,” said Ade. “Just being on the pitch singing the national anthem already gives me goosebumps. Imagine it at a World Cup… Football is the only thing that can put a smile on the faces of those people who have suffered so much.
“My dream is to be able, like other countries do, to play a match at home before the World Cup and celebrate. Why can’t we, after 52 years, have that image? I know the whole country will be with us. We know what we represent, and we’re going to represent it well.”
