New Coach

On 22 August, the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) announced that the new head coach of the men's national team is Spanish coach David Badía, 51 years old. Badía takes over after the departure of French coach Sébastien Migné in mid‑July. His first official match will be on 24 September in the 2026‑2027 Concacaf Nations League against Trinidad and Tobago.

Badía’s Experience

Badía has more than a decade of experience in youth development and club management across Europe. He began his career in the FC Barcelona academy, working with youth teams from 2012 to 2016, and later served as director of Barcelona Escola in Istanbul. In Turkey he worked as an assistant at Antalyaspor and Fenerbahçe, collaborating with coaches such as Phillip Cocu and Erwin Koeman. In Spain he was an assistant at UD Almería, where the club reached the promotion playoffs in the 2019‑2020 season.

His recent roles include head coach positions in Cyprus, leading Ethnikos Achnas, AEK Larnaca and Akritas Chlorakas. The most notable achievement was in 2021‑2022, when he guided AEK Larnaca to the first group of the UEFA Champions League. In the 2024‑2025 season he coached Ethnikos Achnas, earning coach of the month and taking the club to eighth place, its best finish in a decade.

Badía also coached Lechia Gdańsk in the Ekstraklasa, making him the first coach with Polish league experience to arrive in Haiti.

Reactions and Challenges

Reactions to the appointment were mixed. Some fans criticized the lack of a more high‑profile name, while others highlighted realistic expectations given the federation’s limited financial and operational resources. Sports analyst Merlyne Pierre Louis wrote on Facebook: "I will observe how the system and team organization develop under his leadership."

Badía takes over a team that recently returned to the World Cup after 52 years. Haiti lost 1‑0 to Scotland, 3‑0 to Brazil and 2‑4 to Morocco. Migné led an unbeaten campaign in the Concacaf Nations League and secured qualification for the 2025 Gold Cup and the 2026 World Cup. Now Badía must focus on preparing the Grenadiers for the next league cycle and further developing the senior squad.

First Matches

The first Concacaf Nations League match is scheduled for 24 September against Trinidad and Tobago. Haiti is in League A, Group A, alongside Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Subsequent fixtures include 27 September vs. Costa Rica, 1 October vs. the Dominican Republic, and 4 October away to Costa Rica. All group matches will be played in Jamaica due to the security crisis in Haiti.

Badía has little time to implement his playing philosophy, but he also has the opportunity to quickly build a cohesive team capable of competing with the region’s best.