Overview:
Haiti’s women’s national team, seeded top of Group D, will play qualifiers across November 2025, February and April 2026. They must win the group to reach the 2026 Concacaf W Championship — a pathway to the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
MIAMI — Haiti’s women’s national team, Les Grenadières, learned their fate on Aug. 20 in Miami. They’ll lead Group D in the upcoming Concacaf W Qualifiers, which begin in November 2025 and continue in February and April 2026. The team will face the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Belize and Anguilla.
The format is simple: each team plays four games—two at home and two away—and only the group winner moves on. That next stage, the 2026 Concacaf W Championship, is where Haiti could secure a spot at both the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Haiti enters the qualifiers riding the momentum of a historic 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand, which followed their under-20 appearance in France five years earlier. Those milestones cemented Les Grenadières as one of the Caribbean’s top women’s teams, alongside Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Now, as the highest-ranked side in Group D, the task is clear: win the group to secure a place in next year’s decisive Concacaf W Championship.
Yet, recent preparatory results — including failing to qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup after a 1-0 loss to Puerto Rico in the preliminary round and back-to-back friendly losses to Canada in May and June this year — exposed the team’s defensive frailties, limited cohesion and institutional instability. Problems stem significantly from lapses in domestic league operations, training disruptions and leadership turnover.
“The objective is clear: finish top of the group and reach the final phase next November.”
Haitian Football Federation official
Despite setbacks, the team remains anchored by star names. Midfielder Melchie Dumornay, a standout at the last World Cup, this year’s France Football Ballon d’Or nominee and best young player at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, continues to inspire the squad. Other established contributors like strikers Nérilia Mondésir and Batcheba Louis, defenders Claire Constant, Armandine Pierre-Louis, Ketna Louis, Chelsea Surpris and Betina Petit-Frère, midfielder Sherly Jeudy and rising talents such as young prodigy Lourdjina Etienne and Anyssa Ibrahim are expected to provide firepower and defensive resilience.
Off the field, the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) recently organized a qualifying training camp in Santiago, Chile, where players — many based in Europe and North America — prepared for the upcoming competitions. However, domestic instability remains a hurdle, as training centers in Haiti often face access challenges amid persistent insecurity.
As the Grenadières step into group play, they face a crucial roadmap: regain momentum through unity and tactical discipline, while navigating administrative and logistical constraints. The journey to the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics depends on it.