Haiti, unable to play at home due to gang violence and political vacuum, nails historic World Cup qualification
Haiti returns to World Cup for the first time in 50 years.
The World Cup qualifying games ended for Europe last night, but also for Central and North America (CONCACAF), with Panama, Haiti, and Curaçao grabbing the top spots and securing direct qualification to 2026 World Cup (United States, Canada, and Mexico all secured qualification as host countries).
It is a landmark because it is the second ever qualification for Haiti at a World Cup (the first one was in 1974) and happened in a period of strife, de facto ruled by criminal gangs, with its national stadium invaded forcing the players to play their home matches in Curaçao. Even the manager, Frenchman Sebastien Migné, has never set foot in the Caribbean country since he took over the team in June 2024.
The match, ending 2-0 for les Grenadiers, the Haitian team nickname, couldn't have been more exciting, as even in the final match night three of the four teams in the group could have qualified. Haiti beat Nicaragua, already eliminated, and Honduras and Costa Rica had a goal-less draw, that allowed Haiti to be the sole group leader and achieve a historic feat, with 31-year-old Duckens Nazon scoring six goals in the whole qualification process, more than anyone in CONCACAF qualifiers.
