Haiti forced to change World Cup jerseys over political imagery

Haiti have been made to find new jerseys on the eve of the 2026 World Cup, after Fifa deemed certain elements to be too political in nature. The Concacaf qualifiers are set to open their group stage against Scotland on Saturday.

In a statement responding to the decision, kit manufacturer Saeta confirmed that it had worked with Fifa to ensure the design would meet requirements, even having “successfully implemented the requested modifications” during the mandatory review process.

“Working in close collaboration with the Haitian Football Federation,” Saeta’s statement elaborated, “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.”

Haiti’s jerseys come in blue (home), white (away) and red (third) with red collars and sleeves and the national team’s badge in the center of the shirt. The point of contention resided on the shirt’s right hip, which depicted silhouettes inspired by the Battle of Vertières and the Haitian revolution. In 1803, revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who later became the nation’s first emperor, tore the white band off of a French flag to create a new flag for “the world’s first free Black republic”. The moment is commemorated throughout the nation every 18 May as Haitian Flag Day.

The iconography appears on all three of Haiti’s shirts released by Saeta released ahead of the tournament. All three versions are sold out on the Saeta website. The manufacturer does not appear to be priming to release a batch of alternative shirts. Fifa’s online shop only offers two pieces of Haiti-specific merchandise: a trucker hat and a scarf.

Haiti advanced from Concacaf World Cup qualifying for the first time since 1974, and wore the now-banned shirts during pre-tournament friendlies against New Zealand and Peru last week.

In photos from Fifa’s official World Cup portrait sessions taken on Tuesday, players were wearing jerseys that did not feature the iconography.