Haiti World Cup uniform manufacturer Saeta Sports has altered the Caribbean nation’s home, away and third jerseys three days prior to kickoff of their first World Cup match in response to concerns from FIFA that visual imagery on the shirt could be interpreted as a political message.
The original designs from the Colombian manufacturer included imagery that appeared to show soldiers carrying the Polish national flag, presumably a tribute to Polish Legionnaires who defected from Napoleon’s French army to aid the Haitians during the Haitian Revolution from 1802-04.
The revised tops shown in FIFA’s official team portraits have the same collar and sleeve patterns but with solid colors beneath them rather than the imagery at the bottom of the shirts.
“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,” read a Saeta statement on Instagram.
“During the review process, FIFA determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulation and ultimately requested modifications to our design.
“While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by FIFA.”
Haiti’s second all-time World Cup appearance, and first since 1974, begins on Saturday night with a Group C opener against Scotland in Foxborough, Mass.
On Saeta’s website, the original shirts are still for sale in primary (blue), secondary (red) and tertiary (white) colors.
This is the second such instance a Haitian delegation has encountered in international sports this year. At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the IOC required the removal of imagery on opening ceremony uniforms depicting national founding father Toussaint Louverture.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
