Haiti has been required to revise its jerseys just prior to the 2026 World Cup after Fifa flagged certain design elements as excessively political. The national team is scheduled to begin its journey in the group stage of the Concacaf qualifiers against Scotland on Saturday.
In an announcement regarding Fifa’s ruling, Saeta, the kit manufacturer, confirmed its collaboration with Fifa to ensure adherence to the governing body’s standards. They noted that they had “successfully implemented the requested modifications” during the essential review process.
“Working in close collaboration with the Haitian Football Federation,” Saeta explained, “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,” the manufacturer’s statement continued. “While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by Fifa. We remain proud to have contributed, alongside the Haitian Football Federation, to this historic moment for Haitian football and wish the team every success at the Fifa World Cup.”
The jerseys will feature blue for home games, white for away matches, and red for the third kit, all accented with red collars and sleeves and prominently displaying the national team’s badge at the center. The controversy arose from an emblem on the right hip of the jersey, which illustrated silhouettes inspired by the Battle of Vertières and the Haitian revolution. This significant event took place in 1803 when revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who later became the first emperor, removed the white band from a French flag, thereby creating a new flag for “the world’s first free Black republic” This moment is celebrated across the country every May 18 as Haitian Flag Day.
Saeta has released three variations of the jerseys in advance of the tournament, all of which have reportedly sold out on their website. At this time, there are no plans disclosed by the manufacturer to produce alternative designs. Fifa’s online store currently stocks only two Haiti-themed items: a trucker hat and a scarf.
Haiti successfully progressed through the Concacaf World Cup qualifying rounds for the first time since 1974, wearing the now-banned jerseys during friendly matches against New Zealand and Peru last week.
Images from Fifa’s official World Cup portrait sessions captured on Tuesday displayed players wearing jerseys that omitted the controversial imagery.
This incident marks the second time in 2023 that a Haitian team has been compelled to modify its uniform designs for an international competition. Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee required that Haiti’s ski suits be redesigned at the last minute before the Winter Olympics in Milan, as the imagery created by Stella Jean, which also included a revolutionary theme, was found to violate regulations concerning designs and athlete expression.
