Video game maker adds Haiti national team to its roster ahead of World Cup
Some Haitian gamers do not even mind losing. They are just honored to play with their country on EA Sports FC. The post Video game maker adds Haiti national team to its roster ahead of World Cup appeared first on The Haitian Times.
Black News 
As Haiti prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 52 years, fans have yet another way to celebrate: playing as Les Grenadiers in the EA Sports FC video game.
The national team was added to the popular soccer video game on May 28 as part of The World’s Game Update, which includes all teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup. For many Haitian gamers, it marks the first time they can easily select Haiti and compete with the team on one of the world’s most popular soccer platforms.
Dorian Rowe, an environmental scientist based in Miami, downloaded EA Sport FC Mobile on June 1 after hearing he could play with Haiti.
“I’ve never seen them [Haiti’s team] in a game so the fact that I got to see them in a game was really cool to me,” Rowe, 37, said, in a phone interview on June 1.
“It’s like something you always wanted to see when you go to the countries in the game and it was finally there,” Rowe added.
Haiti’s inclusion comes just as the men’s national team prepares for the 2026 World Cup, its first time since 1974. Les Grenadiers will face Scotland, Brazil and Morocco.
The addition also marks a return for Haiti in a major soccer video game franchise. Les Grenadiers previously appeared in earlier versions of FIFA, including FIFA 98 and FIFA 16. Haiti’s women’s national team was also added to EA Sports FC after qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
FIFA, the longtime video game series, ended in 2023 after EA Sports and FIFA ended their partnership. EA Sports then launched EA Sports FC as a replacement.
Before Haiti was added to EA Sports FC, some fans created their own versions of the national team by transferring Haitian players onto club rosters. Now they can simply select Haiti from the game’s list of national teams.
While Rowe has already played with Haiti, others are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to do so. Dave Henry, a private insurance investigator from Brooklyn, said he has been waiting for the chance to play with Haiti since learning the team was added to the game.
“I don’t care if they beat me by how many goals, but I’m going to play with my team proudly and show out,” Henry said, with a loud laugh.
“I’ve played FIFA very, very much, but every time I’ve played the game I was able to play with a lot of teams but my country wasn’t in the game. Being able to represent Haiti is an incredible honor,” he added. “It will be one of my proudest moments as a FIFA player and as a Haitian.”
Fans see room for improvement and ‘learning.’
While Haitians are excited about Les Grenadiers being on EA Sports FC, not all fans are satisfied, however.
Only 11 Haitian players appear on the roster, with the remaining spots filled by generic players. Some players expected to be on the roster are missing, including striker Wilson Isidor, Lenny Joseph and Woodensky Pierre.
Gamers have also pointed out inaccuracies in some player images. For instance, Josue Casimir is bald when he has braids in real life.
Fans hope EA Sports will update the squad after its World Cup appearance.
Some gamers are already imagining World Cup runs that mirror their hopes for Les Grenadiers in real life. One screenshot shared online showed Haiti lifting the World Cup trophy after defeating Argentina 6-0 in a virtual final.
Fans also hope strong performances at the World Cup will lead EA Sports to improve player ratings and expand the roster in future updates.
“It’s going to be higher than that by the time the World Cup ends,” Henry said. “They’re going to be in for a treat. They think it’s going to be easy to get through; they’re going to learn. They’re going to learn the hard way.”
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