‘Grenadye Alaso, men mwen’: Spanish coach David Badía takes charge of Haiti

Overview: The Haitian Football Federation has named Spanish coach David Badía, 51, as the new head coach of Haiti’s men’s national soccer team, nearly six weeks after parting ways with Frenchman Sébastien Migné following the team’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 1974. Badía’s first task is to lead the Grenadiers into the 2026-2027 Concacaf Nations League, beginning Sept. 24 against Trinidad and Tobago. The Haitian Football Federation (FHF) has appointed Spaniard David Badía as the new head coach of the men’s national soccer team, putting him in charge of Les Grenadiers squad two months after Haiti returned to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years and entered a new competitive cycle. Badía, 51, succeeds French coach Sébastien Migné, who parted ways with the federation in mid-July. His first competitive match is scheduled for Sept. 24 against Trinidad and Tobago in the Concacaf Nations League. An FHF spokesperson confirmed Badía’s appointment to The Haitian Times on Aug. 22, before an official announcement video was posted later on the federation’s Facebook page. “It is with great pride that the Haitian Football Federation announces the new coach of the Grenadiers,” the federation’s communications team said. “[The year of] 1974 was a milestone. 2026 was a passage. The dream is tomorrow,” it added in Haitian Creole. The announcement described Badia as a coach whose experience matches Haiti’s ambitions and introduced him as “the new captain of the ship.” No details are available regarding the terms and conditions of the contract between the Spaniard and Haiti. The FHF did not immediately respond to The Haitian Times’ request for information. From Barcelona’s academy to Haiti, a coach known for player development Badía arrives with more than a decade of coaching experience spanning youth development and professional club football in several European leagues. His career includes work with FC Barcelona’s academy, clubs in Turkey and Spain, and head-coaching roles in Cyprus and Poland. However, he has no experience coaching a national team. A former defender, Badía began his coaching career in the FC Barcelona development system after earning his UEFA Pro License, where he worked with youth teams from 2012 to 2016. He later served as director of the FC Barcelona Escola in Istanbul, Turkey. His experience then expanded into professional football. Still in Turkey, he worked as an assistant coach at Antalyaspor and later at Fenerbahçe, alongside coaches including Dutch Phillip Cocu and Erwin Koeman. He also served as an assistant at Spain’s second-tier club UD Almería alongside former Real Madrid player José María Gutiérrez Hernández, known as Guti. During the 2019-2020 season, Almería reached the promotion playoffs. Badía subsequently moved into head-coaching roles in Cyprus, where he managed Ethnikos Achnas, AEK Larnaca and Akritas Chlorakas. He also coached Polish club Lechia Gdańsk in the Ekstraklasa. One of the most notable achievements highlighted in his professional profile came during his time at AEK Larnaca in 2021-2022, when the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history. His most recent coaching experience came at top-flight club Ethnikos Achnas in Cyprus during the 2024-2025 season. According to his professional profile, he was named the Cypriot league’s coach of the month once and guided the club to eighth place, its best finish in a decade. Badía’s background is particularly centered on player development, coaching methodology, tactical organization and building cohesive teams — areas that will be tested as he takes over a Haitian side that has recently reached one of the most significant milestones in its history. Mixed reaction to the appointment The appointment has drawn mixed reactions from Haitian soccer fans and observers, with some being disappointed that the federation did not hire a more established name. Others, however, said they would not judge Badía prematurely. They added that, given Haiti’s soccer governing body’s financial and operational limitations, expecting it to hire a coach with a higher pedigree was unrealistic. “I would rather follow the team starting in September under his leadership to see what system he uses and whether he manages the players to achieve success with Haiti’s talented squad,” sports analyst Merlyne Pierre Louis wrote on her Facebook page Merlyne Haiti Promo. “Ultimately, results on the field will show whether choosing David Badía was the right decision,” she added. Badía becomes the second manager of Spanish origin to be named to the helm of Haiti’s men’s national team in recent years. Spanish-Argentine coach Gabriel Calderón Pellegrino managed Les Grenadiers in 2023 in a disappointing spell before Migné replaced him in March 2024 after a six-match stretch with only one win. From World Cup breakthrough to a new cycle Badía inherits a team that ended a 52-year World Cup absence this summer but struggled against stronger opponents in its return to the tournament. Haiti lost 1-0 to Scotland in its opening Group C match, then fell 3-0 to Brazil and became the first team eliminated from the tournament. The Grenadiers finished their campaign with a 2-4 loss to Morocco. The World Cup campaign followed a period of significant progress under Migné. The Frenchman guided Haiti through an unbeaten six-match Concacaf Nations League campaign, helped the team qualify for the 2025 Gold Cup and then secured Haiti’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup — its first appearance since 1974. But Haiti’s World Cup participation also exposed the gap between Les Grenadiers and some of the region’s strongest teams and intensified questions about tactical decisions, defensive organization, player selection and the team’s ability to translate its talent into results against elite opposition. The federation and Migné subsequently agreed to separate. The federation ultimately thanked Migné for his professionalism and his role in taking Haiti back to the World Cup. Badía now takes over a team entering a different phase: preparing not for World Cup qualification, but for the next cycle of regional competition and the continued development of Haiti’s senior national program. No time for a long adjustment Badía will not have much time to settle in. Haiti’s first competitive assignment under the new coach is scheduled for Sept. 24 against Trinidad and Tobago in the 2026-2027 Concacaf Nations League. Haiti is in League A, Group A, alongside Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The group-stage format gives each team four matches — two at home and two away — with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The competition will also serve as a qualifier for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup. Haiti’s opening schedule is demanding. After hosting Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 24, the Grenadiers are scheduled to play Costa Rica on Sept. 27. Both games will be played in Jamaica because Haiti cannot host at home due to the security crisis. The team will then visit the Dominican Republic on Oct. 1 and play away to Costa Rica on Oct. 4. The Nations League therefore offers Badía an immediate opportunity to establish his playing philosophy while competing against teams Haiti will need to beat or challenge if it hopes to remain among Concacaf’s top national programs. Haiti draws mostly elite opponents in regional Nations League soccer tournament Building beyond the World Cup The federation’s decision suggests that it sees Badía’s experience in player development as part of a longer-term project rather than simply a short-term response to the World Cup disappointment. His years working with young players at Barcelona and later experience managing professional teams could prove important for a Haitian program seeking to strengthen its pipeline between youth development and the senior national team. Experts: Haiti must tackle problems off the field to make 2030 World Cup That task also comes as Haiti’s football federation continues to operate under difficult circumstances. Security concerns in Haiti have made it difficult for the national team to regularly play and prepare at home, forcing players and staff to rely heavily on training camps and matches abroad. Badía will therefore inherit more than a team coming off a World Cup. He takes charge of a national program attempting to turn a historic qualification into sustained competitiveness. The FHF’s announcement captured that ambition in the Spaniard’s introduction message: “Grenadye Alaso. Men mwen” — Haitian Creole for “Warriors, let’s go. I am ready.”