Overview:
A cultural analysis of Haiti’s 2025 Saeta World Cup kit, exploring its evolution, possible Vodou symbolism and its meaning for Haitian identity.
In recent weeks, the uniforms worn by Haiti’s men’s national soccer team, Les Grenadiers, during their World Cup qualifying campaign have become the center of a growing cultural debate, both off and online. Fans and observers are questioning whether the geometric patterns on the Saeta-designed jerseys resemble vèvè symbols, sacred Vodou imagery often drawn during spiritual ceremonies. What began as speculation online has evolved into a wider conversation about religion, national pride and the role of culture on one of the world’s biggest sports stages.
The online discourse intensified as social media users questioned whether the patterns were simply decorative or subtly referenced sacred Vodou iconography. Others pushed back, arguing that Haiti’s success on the field mattered more than speculation about the design.
Hervé Sabin, an architect and artist who lives in Port-au-Prince, said he sees vèvès as “a form of energy that propels us forward.”
“If you’re feeling down, you start singing. It’s like the blues. Everywhere in the world, people sing the blues to find some kind of energy to get them through the workday. The vèvès aren’t any different,” he said.
“For the most part, it’s a divisive debate,” Sabin said. “At the core of it, you have to understand there is cultural value.”
That tension prompted responses from community leaders, including faith leaders who urged calm.
“We don’t need to fight over whether a shirt does or doesn’t have vèvè symbols,” Pastor Malory Laurent of Salvation Church of God in Brooklyn, NY, said to his congregation via his TikTok channel. “It’s Haitians who will be on the field, not spirits. What matters is supporting the team and remembering we are one people.”
As fans speculate about the jersey’s meaning, many are questioning whether vèvè-like symbols – if intentional – are even allowed under FIFA’s global rules.
FIFA rules: What’s allowed and what’s not
FIFA-approved kits, which must comply with strict global regulations, are expected by March or April, and may feature different design elements.
Under Article 4.3.1 of FIFA’s equipment regulations, teams are banned from wearing anything featuring political, religious, discriminatory or personal slogans, images or statements. That restriction applies to all items worn in controlled areas, including jerseys, shorts, socks and accessories.
Team identifiers must also avoid political or religious references, and even a captain’s armband must feature designs approved by FIFA. Still, the organization allows a narrow exception: religious clothing worn primarily for faith-based observance, like head coverings, may be permitted if it meets safety standards and does not display identifying marks or commercial logos. This distinction influences design decisions across global football and will shape the final uniform Haiti unveils for the tournament.
A kit that has sparked pride and questions
Saeta, the Colombia-based brand that began outfitting Haiti in 2014 after donating uniform kits following the 2010 earthquake, has worked with the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) to create jerseys that reflect the country’s culture and identity.
Haiti’s recent World Cup qualification has sparked pride and a rush to represent. In a predictable football-fan move, supporters eager to show their national pride rushed to Saeta’s site to purchase the team’s jerseys. Both men’s and women’s styles are currently sold out, with only one version available for pre-sale at the time of this writing.
The uniform kit comes in three versions: blue for home games, white for away games and red as a third option. Each design is a clear reflection of the rouge et bleu that symbolizes Haiti’s flag.
Saeta’s current Haiti home, away and third kits feature geometric patterns that some fans say resemble vèvè motifs. Courtesy of Saeta. Courtesy of Saeta.
Saeta worked closely with the FHF to “create designs that reflect the identity and culture of the country,” the company said on their website, and noted they drew from imagery like the Haitian coat of arms to “reflect the culture and natural beauty of the country” and incorporated “elements that reflect the energy of the carnivals and passion of Haitian fans.”
Interpreting the patterns
“If you look at the actual design, both sides of the vèvè, the middle part is blurred out but it’s supposed to represent the gate,” said Mambo Zéklè in an interview with The Haitian Times. Zéklè leads ceremonies at the community spiritual hub, Lakay Sakre, in Brooklyn, and believes that geometric designs are elements of Papa Legba’s vèvè.
“Haitian vèvès are always symmetrical, so you have the four directions and then you have each part that intersects like a crossroad in which Legba represents the gatekeeper.”
In Vodou tradition, Papa Legba is honored at the start of ceremonies as the lwa, or spirit, who opens pathways between worlds. According to Zéklè, the design’s structure pays homage to that role and some practitioners will interpret the design as a call for Legba’s guidance during the qualifying stages of the World Cup. Zéklè said the team’s qualification, which took place during the Gede season and on the day Haiti won its independence through the Battle of Vertières, strengthened that reading for her.
“My interpretation of this as a Vodouizan is that they are going to be calling on Legba to open all the doors for them,” she said.
Roy Clement, an artist and therapist whose recent work engages Vodou iconography, told The Haitian Times that seeing vèvè motifs on an international stage could carry deep meaning for Haitians.
“That would be reclaiming our culture and sense of identity,” he said. “Vodou is ingrained in Haitian culture, and that’s what gave us our independence. For it to be shown on such a global stage would be reclaiming what is ours, showing we have pride in our culture, pride in who we are and that we are not going to bow down to negative stereotypes or propaganda, or any negative narrative being spread about Haitians around the world.”
The Haitian Times reached out to Saeta and the Haitian Football Federation for comment about the design and whether the patterns were intended to evoke vèvè imagery. Neither organization responded to requests for comment before publication.
As Haiti awaits the official FIFA-approved World Cup uniforms, expected in early 2026, the conversation continues.
Additional reporting by Simon Feisthauer Fournet and Vania André.
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