Fifa World Cup 2026: What you need to know about Haiti

Now give me some proper detail

November 18 is a big day in Haiti. Firstly for the slave revolt that overthrew Napoleon’s colonial rule at the Battle of Vertieres in 1803 and then for achieving World Cup qualification exactly 222 years later.

The intervening period has been punctuated by war, oppression and earthquakes. The darkest of dark times were 1957-86, when Haiti was ruled by the despotic father-and-son duo Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier.

The first Haitian to make his mark at the World Cup was Joe Gaetjens – representing the USA, he scored the winner as they shocked England 1-0 in 1950. Gaetjens later returned to his homeland. His family were involved in resistance against the regime. One night in 1964, Gaetjens was abducted. He was never seen again.

In 1974, Haiti appeared in their only previous World Cup. They took the lead against before losing 3-1 but Haitian pride swelled. Shame quickly followed. Defender Ernst Jean-Joseph failed a post-match doping test, was removed from the team hotel and sent back to Haiti. His team-mates lost 7-0 to Poland and, after he called to tell them he was safe, 4-1 to Argentina.

Haiti, then. Not a land blessed by fairytales. But 52 years on, their new World Cup chapter is THE feel-good story of world football.