HAITI

Haiti is a two-time World Cup participant (1974, 2026), playing at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. At the 2026 World Cup, Haiti plays in Group C against Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland. Head coach Sébastien Migné is a former youth team coach. The leaders: Duckens Nazon, Derrick Etienne, Carl Stéphane, Jean-Junior Joseph.

In 1974 in Germany, Haiti debuted at the World Cup during the Jean-Claude Duvalier dictatorship. In the opening group match against Italy, Emmanuel Sanon scored in the 46th minute — Haiti led 1:0, breaking Italy's record of 1142 consecutive minutes without conceding. But the team lost 1:3. Then came defeats to Poland 0:7 and Argentina 1:4. After that, Haiti went through dictatorships, the 2010 earthquake, and political instability — football became the only outlet.

Qualifying was a historic miracle. Haiti went through a difficult CONCACAF qualifying campaign, beating Cuba and Nicaragua. Before the tournament the team plays only friendlies on home soil — the core squad is based in the USA, Canada, France, and the Caribbean. In Group C the main rival is Scotland (the opener on June 14 in Boston). Matches are in Boston, Atlanta, and Miami. The goal: score at least one World Cup goal as a symbol of national rebirth after the tragedies of the 2010s-2020s.

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