Overview:
The Haitian Football Federation hired Pia Sundhage, the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Coach of the Year, as the women’s team head coach.
CAP-HAÏTIEN — The Haitian Football Federation (FHF) announced Friday that it had hired Pia Mariane Sundhage as the new head coach of the women’s team. Sundhage was among the best women’s coaches in the world in the 2010s, winning the FIFA Women’s World Coach of the Year award in 2012 and finishing second at the World Cup with the U.S. in 2011.
The 66-year-old Swedish also coached Brazil, another powerhouse, as well as Sweden and Switzerland. Sundhage is one of the most accomplished coaches to ever take over a Haitian team, marking a significant moment in Haitian sports.
For the Haitian women’s soccer team, hiring an international woman as its coach is a first. Other Haitian women had coached the team before, including former players Solange Maître and Yvette Félix, but no foreign woman had ever coached Les Grenadières.
“This appointment is fully aligned with the Federation’s strategic plan to structure and professionalize Haitian football,” FHF posted in a press release on its Facebook account. “It reflects a clear commitment: to raise technical standards, strengthen a structure of performance, and build sustainable foundations for future generations.”
FHF also stated that Sundhage’s mandate includes “mentoring and training national coaches; sharing methodologies and technical tools; gradually integrating local expertise within the staff; and contributing to the sustainable structuring of the National Technical Directorate.”
“We’re happy, now we’re waiting for the results. Keep working so you guys can add what’s missing.”
Petitson Lamour, Haitian soccer fan
The women’s team’s level of play significantly declined after qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. Les Grenadières lost all three of their matches in the global tournament, falling to Denmark 2-0, China 1-0, and England 1-0. Fans heavily blamed then-head coach Nicolas Delepine for Haiti’s substandard performances.
In September 2024, the federation replaced Delepine with Malou Quignette, a 28-year-old Frenchman who had never coached a senior team before. The team’s performance continued to decline under Quignette’s leadership. He held a 4W-5L-1D record during his time with Les Grenadières.
Now that Haiti is under the leadership of a reputable coach, fans hope the team will improve, especially because the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers have started.
“A coach with Sundhage’s pedigree at the helm of Haiti’s team is like a revolution,” said Soniel Jean, a fan based in Orlando.
“We’re happy, now we’re waiting for the results,” Petitson Lamour commented on Facebook under a post from FHF. “Keep working so you guys can add what’s missing.”
Les Grenadieres started their World Cup qualifiers with a 9-0 win over Belize last December. Now with world superstar Melchie “Corventina” Dumornay on the field and Sundhage on the sideline, Haiti is a team to fear in the remainder of the qualifying stage in the Concacaf region.
Now that her post is official, the Swedish coach will begin work immediately. Les Grenadieres next encounter in the qualifiers will be against Suriname on March 3.
No information has been disclosed regarding Pia Mariane Sundhage’s salary. However, The Haitian Times learned from a source close to the FHF that her contract as head coach of the national team is for one year— with an option to renew. “Qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil would automatically trigger an extension of her deal,” the source said.
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