Haiti played for World Cup dream it waited 52 years for

On Jun 25, 2026

June 24, 2026, 10:39 p.m. ET

ATLANTA ― Haiti didn’t win its final 2026 World Cup match, and yet, it did, in so many ways.

Entering Wednesday’s matchup against Morocco, Haiti had already been eliminated after a 1-0 loss to Scotland in opening play and a 3-0 defeat to Brazil six days later. Unfortunately, it didn’t score a single goal during its early Group C play, and it also came away with zero group stage points.

So what did Haiti have to play for with its World Cup journey ending in Atlanta? An entire nation.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium erupted in the 10th minute when Lenny Joseph scored the first goal of the night. His quickfire score turned the stands into a sea of blue waves that crashed over and over again in jubilation. Joseph’s goal was 52 years in the making. It was the first time Haiti found the back of the net since its first World Cup appearance, when Emmanuel Sanon scored two goals in 1974 against Italy and Argentina.

“Regardless of our elimination, it’s important for us to play well for this third game because our qualification for the World Cup means so much hope for the Haitians,” Haiti head coach Sébastien Migné had said pre-match. “The real loss would be us giving up.”

On Wednesday, giving up wasn’t in Haiti’s DNA.

In the 42nd minute of the first half, forward Wilson Isidor sent a rocket into the net with a beautiful right-footed strike to put Haiti up 2-1 over Morocco. Isidor’s quick decision-making had supporters over the moon. Haiti fans could hardly contain themselves as Isidor ran around the pitch after scoring, arms stretched wide, as if he were flying.

Just as it had in 1974, Haiti had another pair of goals to add to its World Cup history book. While the group stage points and scoring may not have come in the first pair of matches the way The Grenadiers had hoped for, Wilson said postgame that he still believed in what Haiti was building.

“That means a lot. You know we did the two first games without scoring a goal, and that was tough to accept when you’re a competitive guy like me,” Wilson said.

“It was tough to accept, you know, that we didn’t score. Today we scored two goals … We are really proud of it. The (emotions) were big, but it’s still frustrating because we didn’t get a point … but, yeah, with the generation we have, I’m sure and confident to say that in four years, we’re gonna be here again to win our first point in the World Cup.”

The Haitian national team will look different the next time it qualifies for the World Cup. Wilson says that during the match, he thought about all the players who came before him, and won’t be there when Haiti makes the tournament again.The 25-year-old says that list includes athletes like goalkeeper Johny Placide, who had a blistering eight saves against Morocco, and is finishing his career with the national team. Wilson called Placide and so many other players who wore Haiti across their chest, legends. Without them, Haiti would not have made it to Wednesday night in Atlanta.

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