The Eagles are soaring into international competition as Vancouver FC forward Mikaël Cantave earned his first call up of 2024 for the Haitian Men’s National team. The 27-year-old attacker will be heading to Wildey, Barbados to join the squad ahead of Haiti’s first set of FIFA World Cup 26 Concacaf Qualifiers in June.
“I am very honoured to be called up to represent Haiti in these qualifying matches,” said Cantave.
These qualifying matches serve as the starting point for Haiti’s road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both matches will kick off at 2 p.m. PT and be held at BFA Turf in Wildey, Barbados as Haiti will first take on St. Lucia on Thursday, Jun. 6 followed by a game against the host-nation Barbados on Sunday, Jun. 9.
Haiti was drawn into Group C for the second round of Concacaf qualification with Curaçao, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Aruba which was announced in March of this year. The nation will play each team in their group once, with the next set of matches against Curaçao and Aruba slated for June 2025, before only the two top teams in the group advance to the final stage.
“It is every soccer player’s dream to represent their country on the global stage and I’ve been fortunate enough to live out those dreams throughout my career,” said Cantave.
Cantave has 13 caps for Haiti, the country of his father’s birth, since making his international debut for the nation in 2018. He scored two goals and registered one assist in international competition for Haiti. Cantave most recently got called up to represent Haiti in October 2023 for two matches in the Concacaf Nations League group stage. He played in both matches for a combined 145 minutes and scored his second international goal in Haiti’s 1-1 draw against Suriname.
“I’m very grateful for these opportunities and I’m excited to help Haiti on the road to the FIFA 2026 World Cup,” continued Cantave.
For his current professional club, Cantave has made an appearance in all eight of VFC’s matches so far this season, including starting in the last three games. Since joining Vancouver in June 2023, the native of Ottawa, ON has scored four goals and registered two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions. Cantave will be unavailable for the Eagles’ upcoming away match against York United FC on Sunday, Jun. 9.
Vancouver wishes Cantave all the best on his international duties.
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Vancouver FC will be back in action at Willoughby Park on Sunday, Jun. 23 when the team hosts Halifax Wanderers FC. Tickets to that match, and all of VFC’s home games, can be purchased online here.
