Qualifying for the FIFA World Cup™ is difficult, so imagine trying to do it without playing in front of your home supporters. Such is the situation at present for Haiti, who are playing all of their Concacaf qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 26™ in a neutral setting, including their opening third-round match against Honduras on 5 September in Curaçao.
Through it all, Les Grenadiers, like always when presented with adversity, have shown remarkable resilience. It is because of players such as Louicius Deedson, who recently joined Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit FC Dallas after six years in Denmark.
The 24-year-old winger notched two goals in Haiti’s four matches during the second round, and also found the back of the net against USA in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup in a match that, coincidentally, took place in Dallas Stadium, one of the venues for next year’s global showpiece.
FIFA recently caught up with Deedson to talk about his transition to the North American league and how much World Cup qualification could help his country.
Louicius Deedson: It’s been a very difficult time for us, because of what’s going on at home in the country right now. We can’t play at home and that’s a big advantage we’re losing. There have been games that if we had played them in Haiti, with all due respect, we probably would have won or it would have been a better game for us.
But we’re focused. We know what we want to do. Probably the only thing good that can happen in the country right now is if we qualify for the World Cup. I know we have six more games to go, and we’ll take every game one by one, as every game is a final.
I think it’s a very nice group, some challenges for sure. Costa Rica have a lot of good players, same as Honduras and also Nicaragua. But I think with we can go and fight. For me, I think every game is 50-50. Whoever wants it more, can have it.
It’s going to be two great games. We’ll deal with Honduras first and then after, we’ll take on Costa Rica. Also, I’m sure the coach is going to have a plan on how to approach each game and we’ll do our best to represent the country.
I haven’t been able to think about or process that. It would be probably one of the biggest things, maybe the biggest, that can happen to me. Haiti haven’t been to a World Cup for 52 years, so if we did it…. Like, I don’t know how to express the feeling that I would have for the country or myself.
Going to the World Cup would give peace to the country because there is a lot of stuff going on right now. Haiti’s fans and family are suffering, and so I think the only good way to represent Haiti right now is to qualify for the World Cup.
Football in Haiti is the biggest sport and people are so passionate about it. In 2019 when Haiti reached the Gold Cup semi-finals against Mexico, I’ve never seen a moment like this, where the Haitian people back home were so happy. They treated all the players like they were kings. That’s the love they have for the game. Once we make them proud, I think the country will be so happy and things can calm down a little bit.
When I played against the US in Dallas, I didn’t know then that I was going to Dallas. For sure, it would be a nice feeling to play in Dallas if we make it to the World Cup and have all the fans from FC Dallas there to support me.
Everything is going well. I’m trying to adapt to the system and the weather. It’s very hot! [laughs] I think the group has welcomed me very well, the staff also. I’m getting very comfortable.
I learned a lot of stuff in Denmark at the start of my career. I was 18 years old and got a lot of experience. This move here to MLS, it was the right moment for me, and also because of my family. It’s one of the main reasons they moved from Haiti to the US. I didn’t spend so much time with them at the beginning of my career because I was in Europe and they couldn’t travel to Denmark. Also, Dallas have been looking at me for a long period. For two or three years I have been talking to them, they had eyes on me and so I think it was the right moment to come.
Yes, for sure. I feel like it’s like a family club also. Like everybody trusts each other, from the fans and to the players. I think there’s a lot of excitement from game to game. For sure it will be a very good World Cup city. Everybody’s getting excited.
It was a very nice feeling to score for the country, especially in a game against the US, which for us is a big game because we don’t get to play them every year. To score and equalise a game for Haiti, it was a big moment for me and for my family. I was very happy to be able to help the team and also create this experience for myself.
It was an amazing stadium. I think in my entire career, it was probably the best stadium I’ve played in. Just as we arrived at the stadium in the bus, I looked around and it was like, wow.
