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Haiti's national football team has been forced to alter their World Cup kits after FIFA deemed them to be in violation of regulations concerning political neutrality.
The Caribbean team's jerseys depicted a scene from the country's war of independence. According to Colombian manufacturer Saeta, these designs were created to "celebrate the pride, fighting spirit, and soul" of the Haitian people, and were not intended as a political message.
"During the review process, FIFA determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently from the kit regulations and ultimately required design changes. While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the decision and complied with the final requirements," the Colombian sportswear company stated.
Haiti is set to kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Scotland on Saturday, with Morocco and Brazil completing Group C. This marks only the second time in history that the Caribbean nation has qualified for the World Cup finals, having made their debut in West Germany in 1974.
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