Concacaf Lets Haiti Host World Cup Qualifiers in the US Amid Gang Violence

Haiti can no longer play home games even in the Caribbean. That's how serious the situation has become: Concacaf has just authorized the Haitian national team to hold its next home series on United States soil, of all places, for the Nations League quarterfinal matchups against the United States.

The confederation approved the request from the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) on Thursday to move the first match, which had originally been scheduled for Kingston, Jamaica. The change is significant: Haiti will "host" the US team in Miami on November 14, and the return leg will be played three days later in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 17.

Behind the decision lies a reality that has been battering the country for years. Gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti, and according to United Nations figures, more than 5,700 people were killed or injured and more than 230 kidnappings were recorded between January and mid-September. Against that backdrop, treating soccer as something normal becomes nearly impossible.

Haiti has been unable to play home games within its own borders since July 2021, shortly after the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moïse. The final blow came in March 2024, when its historic stadium, Stade Sylvio Cator, was taken over by armed groups. Since then, the national team had been using Sabina Park in Kingston as its alternative venue, where it actually "hosted" Trinidad and Tobago on September 24 and Costa Rica on September 27.

What's new is that even that Caribbean workaround is no longer enough. Concacaf itself explained the situation in a statement:

Under this exceptional arrangement, the FHF will be able to play its designated home matches in Concacaf sanctioned competitions on the territory of its opponents, rather than being limited to the Caribbean region as current regulations require.Concacaf

That said, it's not a blank check. The confederation made clear that this flexibility will remain in place only as long as the security situation in Haiti persists, and that each match will require specific approval from the Concacaf administration, sign-off from the opposing federation, and confirmation that the chosen stadium meets all required guidelines.

It's worth recalling how this matter reached the table: the FHF submitted a formal request that ended up before the Concacaf Council for review, according to the confederation. Before this decision, the rules stated that if a country couldn't host matches on its own territory because it failed to meet applicable requirements, a neutral venue would be designated, but always within the same region.

Meanwhile, the US national team continues on with its set schedule. After these two matchups against Haiti, the team will close out its 2026 activity with a match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, against its classic regional rival, Jamaica, on December 13.