# Haiti's World Cup wait is over. Derrick Etienne Jr. can't wait to tell grandpa *[Waking the Red](https://wakingthered.com/2025/11/28/21734/haitis-world-cup-wait-is-over-tfcs-derrick-etienne-jr-cant-wait-to-tell-grandpa/)* • Nov. 28, 2025 --- Haiti were closing in on their first World Cup appearance in 52 years when Derrick Etienne Jr. learned something on the sidelines that made the next two minutes feel like another half-century. Costa Rica had just drawn a red card against Honduras, Haiti's group opponents and primary challengers for one of CONCACAF's three automatic World Cup berths. That game was still goalless but deep into second-half stoppage time. "Oh, no," the Toronto FC winger thought. "Is that a penalty kick?" Even if Haiti beat Nicaragua, as they were about to do, in their final qualifier, a last-gasp win for Honduras would've sent their Central American rivals to the top of Group C on goal difference and stolen the World Cup berth that seemed ever so possible. After the referee ended Haiti's match in Curaçao, Etienne Jr., an American-born Haitian who chose to play for his grandfather's country, watched as his teammates struggled to find a stream of the game on their phones. They furiously refreshed live scoring app Fotmob, fighting dodgy cell service at Ergilio Hato Stadium to get any information at all about their World Cup fate. Etienne Jr. ran to the locker room to try and get his phone, only to find the door was locked. But the touchline notification was a red herring. Both Costa Rica and Honduras had players sent off for foul-mouthed action, not for any last-ditch tackle. The game ended goalless, and Haiti, the No. 84-ranked nation, got to celebrate a moment of uninterrupted bliss at a time of deep conflict within the country itself. "I still can't explain it to this day," Etienne Jr. told Waking the Red in an exclusive interview. "Honestly, I was talking with my dad yesterday about it, and to just have that feeling of joy and anxiousness, of trying to qualify, what it means for the country, what it means personally, childhood dreams coming true, (there was) just a wide range of emotions." ### All in the family As the result became official, Etienne Jr. immediately thought of his grandfather. Fritz Etienne had left Haiti for the U.S. at just 18, giving up everything he had — including a burgeoning career as a soccer player — to create a better life for his family. Fritz went back to Haiti to help his family make a similar stateside move and had sons who later made lives of their own in New Jersey and Virginia. Etienne Jr.'s father, Derrick Etienne Sr., was there as Haiti clinched a World Cup berth that night in Curaçao, and as "cool" as it was to have his dad by his side, they couldn't stop thinking about grandpa Fritz. Years ago, Etienne Sr. reflected on his father's journey to America with "$19 in his pocket," telling [Boston's NPR](https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2019/08/02/derrick-etienne-soccer-haiti-red-bulls) about the trials he faced as the oldest of six siblings and the father-like role he had no choice but to embrace. On Nov. 18, Etienne Sr. witnessed his son achieve a dream his father gave up when he left the Caribbean island. "He (said the same thing) as me: He's glad that my grandfather is going to be able to see his grandson play in the World Cup," Etienne Jr. said. "So that was something that pulled on the heart strings. But I haven't had a proper phone call with my grandfather yet. His birthday is coming up so I'm going to see him, and having this to talk about, to see his face, to see him in person, is going to be amazing." Etienne Sr. and his twin brother Darrell were born in 1974, the year Haiti last made the World Cup. While Haiti finished dead last in their group with a -12 goal differential, they managed to score against Italy, who hadn't conceded in over 1,100 minutes. It was a momentous occasion for a Caribbean nation still under a dictatorship. Etienne Sr. and brother Darrell went on to play for the national team but only made a combined 11 international appearances. Etienne Jr. already has 45 in an international career that's spanned nearly a decade. He scored his first goal for Haiti in a 2017 Gold Cup qualifier over Trinidad & Tobago, matching his father's output in just a handful of matches. But he's not the first Etienne to reach a World Cup. That honour belongs to his sister Danielle, who helped Haiti qualify for the 2023 Women's World Cup. Danielle, who's been part of Haiti's women's setup since she was 14, made the roster just seven months after giving birth and became the first Etienne to play in a World Cup when she came off the bench in a 1-0 loss to China. The pipeline remains strong. Etienne Jr. has two other nephews who are currently playing for Haiti's Under-23 and Under-20 sides. "That pride that we get playing for the country, and the fact that we all wanted to play for the country, comes from my grandfather," Etienne Jr. said. "For what he's done, just be to be able to have him sit back in the summer and go up to a game, see his country play, I think that's going to mean the world to him. That's really what makes it all worth it." ### 'Heartbreaking' violence in Haiti The last time Etienne Jr. stepped foot in Haiti was in June 2021. That was for an early World Cup qualifier against Canada, who ended up beating the Haitians over two legs to advance to the final round of qualifying and, eventually, to the 2022 World Cup. It's been even longer since Etienne Jr. and his Haitian teammates played in front of a home crowd. COVID-19 restrictions forced them to play that qualifier behind closed doors. Gang violence in the years that followed evicted them from the ground altogether. With gangs now controlling up to 90% of capital city Port-au-Prince, Haiti moved to neighbouring island Curaçao for their "home" matches. Head coach Sébastien Migné doesn't travel to Haiti to meet or scout any of his players who still reside there. Not once has he stepped foot in the country he's leading. It's "too dangerous," Etienne Jr. said. Migné's most recent squad featured ex-pats who compete in places as varied as Ecuador, northern Italy, and Iran. Even with the World Cup marked on their calendars, Haiti's players will likely have to count on the widespread diaspora to cheer them on. The U.S. State Department told [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/haiti-world-cup-trump-administration-00665817) that the Trump administration won't allow anyone other than Haiti's players, coaches, and staff to travel from the country to the United States. President Donald Trump signed a travel ban in June that bars citizens of 19 countries, including Haiti, from entry to the U.S. Everything changed after the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which triggered a vacuum of power that gangs quickly filled as they invaded the streets and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee from their homes. Gunfire has become a terrifying soundtrack in an otherwise vibrant cultural hotbed. More than 4,300 people were killed between January and September, according to [The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/haiti-world-cup-qualifier-nicaragua-1fa07a3775a76465b47938f479efc40b), and a report in October warned that nearly six million Haitians face crisis levels of hunger. The country was recovering from a 2010 earthquake that left as many as 300,000 dead when civil strife broke out. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed another 2,246 people in August 2021, and thousands more lost their homes in June 2023 after heavy rain caused flash flooding, rockslides, and landslides. "It's hard to put into words," Etienne Jr. told Waking the Red. "It's definitely heartbreaking. I don't want to paint a negative picture of Haiti, especially because I haven't been there in five years, but things are just a little bit out of control. I would never talk bad about the nation that's helped me. Hopefully those things can change. Hopefully with this World Cup, we can connect more countries to see how beautiful (the country is) and just what the Haitian culture is about in a positive light. And hopefully this can be the start of something different to help the country." It has had a positive effect already. Haitians who watched the national team qualify braved curfews and the sound of gunfire in the midnight hours of Nov. 18 to celebrate history. Thousands of fans danced in the streets of Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, and cheered when gunshots threatened to disrupt their parade, according to [The Associated Press' Dánica Coto and Evens Sanon](https://apnews.com/article/haiti-world-cup-qualifier-nicaragua-1fa07a3775a76465b47938f479efc40b). "People will tell you that if you go to certain parts of Haiti, it's beautiful," Etienne Jr. added. "Just all the hardships, from the earthquake to everything else (that's) hit the country time after time after time, is tough, but at the end of the day, you'll see a Haitian who's willing to stand up, fight for their country, laugh, sing, dance. The art out there is beautiful. The food. It's hard to explain, because I feel like a bunch of people from the Caribbean will say the same thing about their island. But I think it's a little bit extra to know that we were the first free Black republic, and to have that under our belts, I think, gives us something extra." ### The road to qualification The people of Haiti wear resilience like a second layer of skin, and the same fighting spirit carried the national team at a critical moment of the qualification cycle. After tying Honduras in their first match of the final qualifying round, Haiti blew a 3-2 lead against Costa Rica, allowing an equalizer in the 91st minute. A heavy 3-0 loss to Honduras in October cancelled out the good vibes from a 3-0 win over Nicaragua days prior, leaving Haiti in a precarious position ahead of their final two qualifiers against Costa Rica and Nicaragua in November. But Etienne Jr. and Co. knew by that point they had a good enough team to beat 2014 World Cup quarterfinalists Costa Rica and out-qualify three-time World Cup participants Honduras. Goalkeeper Johny Placide ended up making six saves in a defining 1-0 win over Costa Rica on Nov. 13 that put Haiti within arm's reach of the World Cup. "We have a lot of players who bring something different: speed, technique, being tactically sound. I think we have a lot of guys who, in an instant, can flip the game on its head," Etienne Jr. explained. "We can sit back and counterattack. We can possess the ball with the technical players that we have. So I think we bring up a lot of different things. I honestly couldn't say (there's just one). I don't think we'd do our team justice." Then came the final day of qualifying on Nov. 18, which was already a special day in the hearts and minds of Haitians: the 222-year anniversary of the Battle of Vertières when Haitian rebels freed the country from French rule. Every single player in the locker room knew it. The Grenadiers, as the soldiers were known, became the national team's nickname. They gave Haiti the gift of freedom in 1803. The players who followed achieved a victory of a different kind. "A coincidence," Etienne Jr. smirked, "but, you know, God works in mysterious ways." --- [[Featured Work|← Back to Featured Work]] | [[Index|Home]]