Haiti will be forced to wear a different uniform during the World Cup. FIFA rejected its initial jersey design.
It was deemed as “political.”
As a result, Haiti’s men’s national soccer team will be required to take the field in a completely different soccer kit than the one originally designed for the World Cup. This change was made less than one week before the organization’s first match.
FIFA rejected the original soccer jersey design for the World Cup.
Haiti qualified for the World Cup by finishing in first place in Group C of the CONCACAF qualifiers. This is their second-ever appearance at the tournament and their first since 1974.
To make Haiti’s story even more impressive, the men’s national soccer team had to play all of its “home” qualifying matches ~500 miles away in Curacao because of ongoing conflicts in Port-au-Prince. History was made.
The organization will use Stockton University in New Jersey as its base site for training camp. Haiti’s three group stage games will take place on June 13 in Boston, June 19 in Philadelphia and June 24 in Atlanta. It will play Scotland, Brazil and Morocco in that order.
Unfortunately, Haiti will look different than it had planned when it takes the field for its first match on the 13th. FIFA rejected its original jersey design because it was too political.
SAETA, the sportswear company that manufactured the Haitian kits, released the following statement:
“Following Haiti’s historic qualification for the FIFA World Cup, Saeta had the privilege of designing the apparel for the national team’s return to football’s biggest stage. Working in close collaboration with the Haitian Football Federation, our objective throughout the process was to create a jersey that celebrated the pride, resilience and spirit of the Haitian people. Several concepts were developed and refined over a number of months and submitted through FIFA’s standard approval process. The final design presented by Saeta was intended as a tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future and was not intended as a political statement. During the review process, FIFA determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design. While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by FIFA.“
As a result, SAETA and Haiti were forced to scramble. They had to redesign the jersey in a matter of days.
Haiti was going to pay homage to its revolutionary beginnings.
Here is a look at the original kit design:
Here is the first look at the new design:
As you can see, the new jersey is more streamlined. Gone is the battle design on the right side of the shirt.
The original jersey design paid homage to the Haitian Revolution. To make a very long story short, the island’s enslaved and former slaves defeated Napoleon’s army to gain freedom from France.
Haiti actually qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a win over Nicaragua on the 222nd anniversary of the decisive battle that ended the revolution. SAETA thought it would be cool to honor the past on the jersey of the present.
It was a really cool tribute.
Haiti wore the original jersey design during each of its tune-up matches last week.
At some point between now and then, FIFA decided to shut it down. Neither the governing body of international soccer nor SAETA gave an explanation for the denial. But we all know what happened.
Law 4 of the International Football Association Board covers what players are allowed to wear during a match. It says that historical symbols or references can be prohibited if FIFA determines that they are interpreted as political. That seems to be what happened here. The historic revolution was likely deemed as political. The design was removed.