In Labadie, sports and spirituality unite in Vodou ritual to boost Haiti’s World Cup chances

LABADIE, Haiti — High in the mountains of this tourist village in northwestern Haiti, about a dozen players and supporters of a local football team hiked atop a waterfall to perform what they called a “wanga” on a recent Thursday afternoon. 

In this particular ritual Vodou ceremony, they gathered around a péristyle painted in blue and red to call specifically on spirits for help securing victory in two matches: their own final match against a rival town and for Les Grenadiers, Haiti’s national football team, as they prepared for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The simple ceremony by the town’s Vodouisant, practitioners of Vodou, is a showcase of sports fanaticism and spiritual traditions uniting off the field, experts say. Across countries and competitions, the faithful of various religions and lifestyles across the globe pray in their own way for their favorite teams to prevail. Because of social media, such cross-cultural connections are more visible too. Just look at the show of spiritual support for the Knicks or Spurs in the NBA Finals.

In the Haitian Vodou tradition, one ougan explains, such practices can often lead to the outcome desired. 

Ougan Jean Saurel Francillon said contrary to the misinformed view some might have that wanga is sorcery, the practice is part of a belief system and a way of life similar to those found in many cultures. Vodou rituals “use forces of nature to shake up positive energies in favor of a specific objective,” he explained.

Francillon went on to say that every Haitian is paying attention to the Grenadiers, just like the people of all 48 participating nations in this global tournament are invoking the beliefs important to them to perform well.

“Whether it’s Catholic, Protestants, Buddhist — the entire world is doing their own wanga,” Francillon, who is based in Brooklyn, said. “Wanga is something that comes out of every culture’s practices based on the needs of its individuals, its society, community or global needs. In Haitian culture, this means we call on the lwa [deities] that our ancestors of African origin brought to Haiti.

“So in this World Cup, it’s possible for Vodou beliefs and functions to have an impact, because the spirits may come together based on the demandes [asks through ritual prayer] for the national team to stand out in the Cup.”

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