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Arun - June 1, 2026
Haiti ended their fifty-two year long wait for a World Cup. They qualified by finishing top of CONCACAF Group C, eliminating the regulars Costa Rica and Honduras in a campaign that announced them as a genuine footballing nation rather than simply a feel-good story.
Coach Sebastien Migne has built something real here; a squad with players competing across Europe and North America, an identity built on pace and direct counter-attacking football, and the belief that comes from overcoming perceived stronger opponents to get here.
Their only previous World Cup appearance came in 1974 in West Germany, where they were eliminated in the group stage but produced one of the tournament’s most iconic moments; Emmanuel Sanon’s goal against Italy that ended Dino Zoff’s legendary clean-sheet record. A nation celebrated. A player became immortal. And then the wait began.
The draw was cruel; Group C contains five-time world champions Brazil, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, and a resurgent Scotland. Haiti are drawn in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane.
“We qualified by beating stronger teams. Nobody gave us a chance then either.” – Sebastien Migne
Appearances: 2 | FIFA Ranking: 83rd | 52 years since last appearance
1974: Haiti’s first and only World Cup appearance before 2026, West Germany. Lost all three group games and conceded 14 goals. But Emmanuel Sanon’s goal against Italy, ending Dino Zoff’s 1,143-minute World Cup clean sheet record, became one of the great moments in Caribbean football history. Haiti were eliminated but not forgotten.
2019: Historic third-place finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup under Migne. A turning point for the national team that showed the program was heading in the right direction.
2026: Return to the World Cup after 52 years. Won CONCACAF qualifying Group C ahead of Costa Rica and Honduras. Drawn in Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Scotland. Open against Scotland in Boston on June 13.
French · Age 53 · Managed Congo, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea · Former Cameroon assistant
Sebastien Migne’s career in African football has taken him to Congo, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea, and he served as assistant to Rigobert Song at Cameroon before taking the Haiti job. He has never managed a team to a World Cup before; his previous nations all fell short in qualifying. Haiti is the achievement that defines his career.
He has done it in remarkable circumstances. Due to the political instability and security situation in Haiti, Migne has never been able to set foot in the country he manages. All training camps and preparation have been held abroad. He has built a squad culture and team identity entirely through diaspora connections, working with players based in Europe and North America who represent a nation many of them have rarely visited. Haiti’s World Cup qualification is one of the most remarkable coaching achievements of the decade.
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (with 4-4-2 out of possession)
Migne sets Haiti up in a 4-2-3-1 in possession, transitioning to a compact 4-4-2 block out of possession. The double pivot of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Leverton Pierre shields the back four and provides the platform for rapid transitions when the ball is won. The emphasis is on defensive organization first; Haiti cannot win matches by playing open, expansive football against Brazil and Morocco.
Going forward, the plan is simple; win the ball, release the ball quickly, and trust Wilson Isidor and Duckens Nazon to run at defenders in the space that opens up. Haiti’s most dangerous moments come immediately after winning possession, when the opposition has committed players forward. The pace of Isidor in particular, combined with Derrick Etienne Jr. on the wing, can cause problems for any defense that is caught flat-footed.
Against Brazil and Morocco, the tactics will be entirely defensive; stay compact, limit space in behind, and hope for a set-piece or moment of individual quality to steal something. Against Scotland, the approach may be slightly more ambitious. Scotland will expect to win that match, which creates the space Haiti need to counter.
Centre-forward · Sunderland · Age 24
The most talented player Haiti have ever produced and the one who carries the weight of the entire nation’s attacking ambitions. Isidor at Sunderland has been one of the Championship’s most exciting forwards over the past two seasons; explosive pace, physical strength, intelligent movement and the ability to finish in tight situations. He is the player the opposition will game-plan around, and the player Haiti will rely on for the one moment of quality that could define their entire tournament. Against Scotland’s back line, his pace in behind is a genuine weapon.
Forward · Age 32 | Qualifying goals: 6 | Haiti all-time top scorer
Haiti’s all-time leading goalscorer and the most experienced attacking player in the squad. Nazon scored six goals in qualifying, including a hat-trick against Costa Rica, and brings the kind of reliability and composure in front of goal that younger players around him can feed off. At 32 he is in the final chapter of his international career and this World Cup represents the pinnacle of everything he has worked for. His partnership with Isidor gives Haiti a genuine attacking threat. If Haiti are to score at this World Cup, one of those goals will almost certainly come from Nazon.
Midfielder · Wolverhampton Wanderers · Age 27 | Premier League experience
Haiti’s most high-profile European-based player and the midfielder who gives Migne’s system its technical quality in the middle. Bellegarde at Wolverhampton Wanderers has been a regular Premier League contributor and brings a level of technical quality and physical intensity that gives Haiti genuine credibility in the central areas. He is the player who connects defense and attack in Migne’s system; winning the ball, distributing quickly, and providing the transition speed that Haiti’s counter-attacking game depends on.
Goalkeeper · Age 38 | Captain
Haiti’s captain and the most experienced player in the squad at 38. Placide has been the backbone of Haitian football for over a decade and his presence between the posts gives the squad a leader whose experience and calm authority are invaluable at a first World Cup in 52 years. For Haiti to earn any kind of result at this tournament, they need to stay in matches long enough for their counter-attacking pace to have an impact. Placide is the goalkeeper who can make the saves that keep Haiti in games they have no right to be in.
Haiti are realistically looking at a group stage exit in Group C. They face Brazil, Morocco and Scotland, the three sides that are significantly stronger on paper and getting even a point from these games seems unlikely.
The best bet for Haiti is not in the win or qualification markets. Rather, you can find value in backing their key players to score in any of their three matches, Isidor or Nazon as anytime scorer, or Haiti to keep it level at half time against Scotland in the opener.
Tactically, they are set up to frustrate their opponents and hit on the counter, and in the first 45 minutes that approach can produce results that nobody sees coming.
Group C Team Profiles
Read our full team profiles for every side in Group C: Brazil · Morocco · Scotland.
Also read our World Cup 2026 Group C Preview and all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis on LeagueLane.
