Boston-area Haitians waiting for price drop as World Cup game nears

At a recent flag-raising ceremony outside city hall, Haitian leaders wove Haiti’s World Cup qualification into speeches about the contribution of Haitians to Boston. It’s only the second time in the nation's history that the team has made the tournament, and its first game, against Scotland on June 13, will take place in Foxborough.

That’s a big deal for local Haitians. But even prominent community figures — Haiti’s consul general in Boston, a radio host, a business owner and a pastor — said they had yet to land tickets.

“That is extremely difficult,” said Carl Richard of Stoughton. He's the father of Frederick Richard, the Olympic gymnast who helped his team win a bronze medal in 2024. “At least I’d love to go to the first game here.”

With the cheapest tickets now going for around $600 on the resale market, Richard said he's waiting for prices to drop to $500 before pulling the trigger.

"That's what I'm aiming for,” he said. He needs two tickets. "My wife has to approve it, but that'd be $1,000 right there.”

The Scotland game will mark Haiti’s first World Cup appearance since 1974. The moment resonates deeply among the roughly 80,000 Haitians in Massachusetts, the third-largest Haitian population in the U.S. But soaring ticket prices and immigration concerns are putting the match out of reach for many hoping to see Les Grenadiers in person. Some fear a scant turnout of Haitian fans at Gillette Stadium.

“It’s like a once-in-a-generational opportunity,” said Yionel Jean Torres of Mattapan, who chairs the board of the nonprofit Mattapan Main Streets. Still, Torres said he's all but given up hope.

“I’m not even trying, because I don’t even want to stress myself out,” he said. “If they come, great. If they don’t, I’ll deal with it.”

Moses Jean-Pierre of Cambridge said he attended the Patriots' first Super Bowl in New Orleans 23 years ago – and went to Celtics games throughout their 2007 playoff run – but he still hasn't purchased tickets to the Haiti match.

“It’s like a once-in-a-generational opportunity. ... I’m not even trying, because I don’t even want to stress myself out.”

Yionel Jean Torres

Jean-Pierre runs the nonprofit Hoops for Haiti. He said he's planning to attend, but he's more concerned about Haitian kids in his organization missing the chance to go to a historic match.

“What we try to do is empower the youth through different programs,” Jean-Pierre said. “We would love to be able to find a way to get some tickets for our kids to go to the game.”

One of the few fans at Boston's annual flag-raising who already had tickets is Christ Lebrun, a basketball player who said his girlfriend's parents bought the coveted passes for his birthday.

“She said, ‘Christ, get ready. We’re going to Haiti against Scotland,’ ” Lebrun said. "I'm like, ‘Alright, bet!’ ”

Haiti’s entry into the World Cup comes as the United States has turned its back on many immigrants, and on many of the countries in the tournament.

A broad U.S. travel ban affecting dozens of countries means many Haitians without existing visas will likely be unable to enter the country for the matches.

The ban has an exception for World Cup athletes and team members, including coaches, support staff and immediate relatives, according to a State Department spokesperson. Haitians can still submit visa applications, the spokesperson said in a statement, but, “We expect such exceptions to be very rare.”

Wadner Pierre, a Haiti supporter who lives in Foxborough, laments the political climate underlying the World Cup: “Haitians would love to come support the team, but they won’t get a visa. Can you imagine?” he said.

Pierre said some Haiti fans also worry about the possibility of heightened immigration enforcement around stadiums, and that will keep people without permanent legal status away from Gillette on match day.

“You will have more federal agents deployed around the stadium,” Pierre said. “You don’t want to chance that.”

With all these obstacles, some fans worry that few Haitians will be at Gillette Stadium to support the team on June 13. Pierre said he's not too worried about that, but like many Haitians who say they plan to go, he doesn't have his tickets yet.

“It's about love, and it's about sharing good times with other people. So  I'd be very disappointed not to share that with lots of fans of the opposing team.”

Ian Cox

On the Scottish side, Ian Cox is organizing a group of more than 1,000 Scots traveling to the U.S. to attend World Cup games. As a lifelong attendee of international matches, he said having a strong presence from both countries playing is key to any game.

“ The Scots are well known for creating a party atmosphere with everyone, wherever they go,” Cox said. “It's about love, and it's about sharing good times with other people. So  I'd be very disappointed not to share that with lots of fans of the opposing team.”

Cox's group is chartering 20 school buses to Foxborough. He said the caravan will enjoy a police escort before heading to the match.

Nothing equivalent seems to be brewing on the Haitian side, at least not on that scale. But Charlot Lucien, an activist and teacher, said there will indeed be Haitians showing up to cheer on the squad at Gillette.

“Some of them [are] coming from Providence, Rhode Island, as delegations,” Lucien said.

“Some of them are organizing into rara bands, those musical marching bands coming from Randolph," he added. "I know of folks coming from Mattapan — so we have no such concerns.”

The bigger concern is the cost of admission.

New York City’s mayor recently secured the release of 1,000 passes for $50 apiece. Those tickets were already held by the organizing committee for the games in New York and New Jersey, but FIFA reportedly had to sign off on the deal. Boston has no similar plans in place, and the city's World Cup organizing committee did not respond to requests for comment.

For Vincent Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross, the historically high cost of admission could undermine the vibe of the tournament.

“I’m worried that these sort of prices are going to lead to World Cup atmospheres that are a bunch of rich guys looking at their phones and taking selfies,” he said.

Matheson got his World Cup tickets through a FIFA lottery system in October, the first of several tranches sold directly by the organization. He said it's possible that FIFA is sitting on more tickets to the Haiti-Scotland game to list in the coming weeks. But most seats are now only available on resale platforms, including StubHub and FIFA's own resale website, where some seats are listed in the thousands of dollars.

Matheson advises fans to consider holding off: “If you’re a local resident of a place where World Cup games are taking place, I think it’s definitely worth your while to check those markets a day or two before matches, and see whether you have some last-minute panic sales.”

There's no guarantee of that, however, especially if thousands of people are counting on a finite number of tickets.

But Lucien, who lives walking distance from the stadium, will take his chances.

He said five carloads of friends will gather at his home for a pre-party before walking to the stadium, singing and waving Haitian flags. He said the majority of them already have seats, and those who don't are hoping to find them at the stadium ahead of the 9 p.m. kickoff.

If not, no worries — Lucien said they’ll watch at his house.

Others will take in the game at public events, like at Boston City Hall Plaza, where fans can see two or three games a day from June 12 through June 23. Public viewings for the Haiti-Scotland match are also planned in cities including Worcester and Everett.

Lucien likes Haiti’s chances against Scotland. But just in case things don't work out, he’s preparing medicinal tea for his friends: one for the nerves, the other for indigestion.

“The prediction is that Haiti will win the game by 2-0,” Lucien said with a smile. “However, of course, anything that goes wrong in the abdomen, we’ll have something for that.”