Spanish manager David Badia has taken over as head coach of Haiti after spending a year without a team. The official announcement was made by the Haitian Football Federation on social media platform X.
The federation, known as the FHF, shared a video introducing Badia as the new coach of the Grenadiers. In their statement, the federation said 1974 was a stage and 2026 was a transition, adding that their dream lies in tomorrow and requires a solid team, proud people, and an ambitious coach to take them far before introducing Badia as the new captain of the ship.
The promotional video published by the federation also featured the crest of Polish club Lechia Gdansk, where Badia previously worked. The Spaniard moved to Poland in March 2023 to manage the Ekstraklasa side, but his time in Gdansk proved unsuccessful.
Coaching background in Poland and Cyprus
Under Badia, Lechia Gdansk lost five of their first six matches and drew once. On May 6, following a defeat against Zaglebie Lubin, the team lost all mathematical hope of remaining in Poland's top flight and was relegated. Badia's contract was not extended after the season.
Following his spell in Poland, Badia managed Cypriot side Ethnikos Achna. He had been out of work for a year before accepting the role with the Haitian national team.
World Cup return and future goals
Badia takes charge of Haiti shortly after the team competed at the World Cup, which was their first appearance at the tournament in 52 years. The Grenadiers exited after three group matches, opening with a 0-1 loss to Scotland before losing 0-3 to Brazil and 2-4 to Morocco.
The primary target for Badia will be guiding Haiti to qualification for the 2030 World Cup. The 2030 tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with the first three matches scheduled to take place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
