Odsonne Edouard will not join Haiti for the 2026 World Cup finals after turning down a call-up for the squad heading to the United States this summer. Haiti had approached the striker about linking up with Sebastian Migne's team, but Edouard said he would not be part of the group for the tournament that will bring him up against Scotland, Brazil and Morocco.
Edouard put his decision plainly. He said he did not feel legitimate playing in this World Cup because the players fought to qualify and he was not going to show up at the last minute to take advantage of it. The Crystal Palace forward, who is eligible for Haiti through the Caribbean nation, would rather keep open his chances of earning a full France cap after representing France at Under 21 level.
The move leaves Haiti to press ahead without one of the most recognisable forwards it had tried to recruit. The timing matters because the squad are in the final stretch before leaving for the United States, and the group stage will test them immediately against stronger opposition. Haiti's place at the finals has already made them a focus for supporters following the national team, especially after a series of recent squad decisions linked to the tournament, including the list that has drawn interest beyond the island and the concerns over who will actually travel when the pressure rises.
There is still a forward line to build around. Haiti have included Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor after an impressive Premier League campaign for the Black Cats, and he will likely lead the line against Scotland in Miami in the Group C opener on June 14. That gives Haiti a clearer attacking plan even as Edouard's refusal underlines the limits of the federation's efforts to broaden the squad from abroad.
Edouard's choice also sits against the backdrop of a player who has already scored in a major domestic cup final setting this week, finding the net alongside former Rangers loan star Abdallah Sima in Lens's 3-1 Coupe de France win over Nice at Stade de France in Paris on May 22. For Haiti, the harder question is not why Edouard stayed away, but how much difference one more proven striker would have made in a group that now asks them to face Scotland first and then navigate Brazil and Morocco after that.
