Wyclef Jean helped ring in the new year as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest. Now that 2026 is officially underway, he’s already looking ahead to what’s next. At the top of his list: his native country Haiti’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Haiti, we ain’t been in the World Cup for close to 50 years. We made it this year, we’re qualified. So here we go,” he tells ABC’s On the Red Carpet during rehearsals for NYRE. “2026. God, Please,” he continues. “[I’m] excited about the World Cup. You know, when a place is going through so much and for, you know, a team to be qualified. That’s gonna be amazing.”
Wyclef is also celebrating personal milestones in 2026, including his daughter heading to New York to pursue higher education, while remaining grateful for his family and their many blessings.
“I’m looking forward to my daughter. She’s going to college and she’s going in New York,” he said. “It’s just been amazing again just to see the family every day. I wake up, I cheese because I know God is good and he’s looking down on me.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11. Haiti, which celebrated its independence day on Jan. 1, has been placed in group C. The team will face Scotland in its opening match on June 13, followed by games against Morocco and Brazil.
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