Gang Violence Forces Haiti’s USMNT Match to Miami
WHO:
NY Post - The U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) will face Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal.
The Guardian - Haiti’s national team, known as the Grenadiers, will play the United States in a home-and-away quarter-final series.
The Guardian - Concacaf approved Haiti’s request to relocate the match.
The Guardian - Haiti and clubs based in the country must seek Concacaf approval for each match they want to play in the territory of an opponent.
WHAT:
NY Post - The first leg of the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti was shifted from Jamaica to South Florida.
The Guardian - Concacaf described the relocation as an “exceptional hosting arrangement”.
The Guardian - Haiti’s World Cup qualifying matches were played in Curaçao, Aruba and Barbados.
The Guardian - Sabina Park hosted two of Haiti’s Nations League qualifiers.
The Guardian - Haiti’s upcoming match will be its first trip back to the United States since this summer’s World Cup, its first tournament appearance since 1974.
The Guardian - Haiti lost all three World Cup matches, against Morocco, Scotland and Brazil.
The Guardian - The United States has won four of its six matches against Haiti this century; the other two ended in draws.
WHERE:
NY Post - The first leg will be played in South Florida.
The Guardian - The match was moved from Kingston, Jamaica, to Miami. It had been scheduled at Sabina Park, the Jamaica national team’s former home ground.
The Guardian - The second leg is scheduled for TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
The Guardian - Haiti’s nominal home games have been played outside Haiti since July 2021 because of security conditions. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Port-au-Prince, including the national stadium, is controlled by violent gangs.
The Guardian - Miami has the largest Haitian and Haitian-descendant population in the United States, with nearly half a million people concentrated mainly in South Florida.
The Guardian - Haiti played Nu Stadium’s first international friendly, against Peru, there before a sold-out crowd of 26,700. Its two matches at Sabina Park drew an average of 297 fans.
The Guardian - Haiti’s World Cup matches drew support in Massachusetts, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The first leg is scheduled for “14 November”; the second leg is set for “17 November”.
The Guardian - Haiti has been unable to play nominal home games inside its borders since July 2021.
The Guardian - Sabina Park served as the Jamaica national team’s home until its current venue opened in 1962.
WHY:
The Guardian - The match was relocated amid gang violence and the security crisis in Haiti.
The Guardian - The Nations League schedule assigned Curaçao and Jamaica to host matches on the same night, leaving Haiti to play at Sabina Park.
HOW:
The Guardian - Concacaf said the flexibility would remain while Haiti’s security situation persists and that the Concacaf Council may amend or withdraw the measure at any time.
The Guardian - The arrangement differs from neutral-site matches Haiti previously booked; each match in an opponent’s territory requires Concacaf approval.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 01:34 UTC)
The United States will face Haiti in a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal, with the first leg moved from Kingston, Jamaica, to Miami. The match is scheduled for “14 November,” followed by the return leg at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on “17 November.” Concacaf approved Haiti’s request, calling the move an “exceptional hosting arrangement.” Haiti has played its nominal home matches abroad since July 2021 because of security conditions, including gang violence that has left the national stadium in Port-au-Prince inaccessible. The team’s World Cup qualifiers were held in Curaçao, Aruba and Barbados, while two Nations League qualifiers took place at Sabina Park in Jamaica. Miami’s large Haitian community offers a strong base of support for the match. Haiti must seek Concacaf approval for each game it wants to play in an opponent’s territory, and the flexibility may change as security conditions evolve.