Haiti end 52-year World Cup wait and aim to lift nation in turmoil

LOS ANGELES, June 1 – Haiti return to the World Cup after a 52-year absence, having played all their qualifiers at neutral grounds due to gang violence at home and facing long odds in a group featuring five-times champions Brazil, Morocco and Scotland.

The Caribbean side, known as Les Grenadiers, are appearing at the men’s World Cup for only the second time, their previous outing coming in 1974.

That campaign ended at the group stage but Haiti left a mark when Emmanuel Sanon scored against Italy, ending Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff’s 1,142-minute clean-sheet record.

At this year’s finals, Haiti are the outsiders in Group C, but their involvement will be enough to delight fans back home in a country overwhelmed by humanitarian and security crises.

“We are not scared of anybody,” Duckens Nazon, Haiti’s record goalscorer, told Reuters. “We come humble, but also proud because we are Haitian,” added the 32-year-old, who scored six of his 44 goals for his country in qualifying.

During the 2026 qualifying campaign, Haiti hosted all “home” matches in neutral venues, primarily in Curacao.

The team have not played a senior home international on their own turf since 2021, when Haiti was consumed by gang violence following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. In March 2024, armed gangs took over the national stadium, the Stade Sylvio Cator.

HAITI COACH RECRUITS PLAYERS FROM DIASPORA

Haiti’s coach, Frenchman Sebastien Migne, a former manager of several African national teams, has never set foot in the country. Migne, who was an assistant coach for Cameroon at the last World Cup in Qatar, has worked hard to add to the squad with players with Haitian roots from overseas.

Striker Nazon plays for Esteghlal in Iran and made a dramatic escape from Tehran on the day the United States and Israel began a bombing campaign earlier this year.

In midfield, Jean‑Ricner Bellegarde, 27, brings European experience as a regular with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. Veteran goalkeeper Johny Placide, 38, captains the side and plays for Ligue 2 club Bastia in France.

Haiti topped their final CONCACAF qualifying group to secure a World Cup place ahead of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Nazon hopes his team can bring some joy to their troubled home in the coming weeks. “It gives me goosebumps,” he said. “This emotion is unbelievable.” REUTERS