Sports

Football is the most popular sport in Haiti, but basketball is gaining ground. Haitians are absolutely obsessed with football. The streets of Port-au-Prince are frequently packed with underprivileged Haitians playing football with whatever they can get their hands on because football is so inexpensive in the country. At the local level, hundreds of tiny football clubs participate. Stade Sylvio Cator is a multi-purpose stadium in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators that is now used primarily for association football matches.

The sport is not regarded a religion, as it is in Brazil, but it is nonetheless extremely popular. Many Haitian children, teenagers, and even adults spend the majority of their leisure time participating in the sport, despite the lack of suitable facilities. Because the country is impoverished, players must make do with whatever they can find to participate in the sport. Former NBA players from Haiti include Samuel Dalembert and Olden Polynice. In the 1950 FIFA World Cup, Haitian footballer Joseph Gaetjens played for the United States national team, scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over England. Additionally, Cockfighting was claimed to be a popular sport in the early twentieth century, though its popularity has since diminished.