Light in the dark night
When you think of Haiti today, you probably think of famine, gunfire, warlord conflict and rampant gangs. Anyone on the street could be a gang member. Coupled with the poor economic situation and political instability, foreigners are seen by many locals as “walking ATMs,” making them easy targets for attack.
In the capital, gangs control the main roads leading to the streets. Murder, arson, kidnapping and extortion are rampant, even attacks on hospitals, all these terrible tragedies, one seems to always see in this land.
Amidst the dark times, a ray of light has just appeared. That is the victory of the Haiti national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Although placed in a difficult group with Honduras and Costa Rica, which were considered stronger, Haiti was still able to overcome all to officially win a ticket to the World Cup.
This is only the second time in history that the Haitian team has participated in the biggest festival of the football world. But this time is certainly the most impressive because unlike the stable 1970s, Haiti is now a scary land, a place where there is no room for development. However, overcoming adversity, this team has made an extraordinary journey.
Journey from zero
Poverty, instability and a series of natural disasters in Haiti have exacerbated the country's already deteriorating situation. Football has been one of the hardest hit sectors. The devastating earthquake in January 2010 in Haiti killed 70,000 people, including 30-50 Haitian football players, coaches, referees and officials.
The disaster left Haitian football virtually paralyzed for many years. It was not until 2013 that the team played its first official matches, narrowly losing 1-2 to Spain and drawing 2-2 with Italy in two friendly matches. These impressive results gradually brought Haitian football back to the spotlight.
In the following years, despite the worsening situation in the country (no elections could be held since 2016), Haitian football still made steady progress. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Haiti reached the penultimate round of the CONCACAF region.
At the 2019 CONCACAF Cup, Haiti made a spectacular comeback in the quarterfinals, defeating Alphonso Davies' Canada 3-2 to reach the semi-finals. This was their best result since 1991. In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Haiti continued to make a mark by overcoming big names to reach the final qualifying round.
And by 2024, the team began to explode under the command of coach Sebastien Migne, a man who surprised everyone by accepting to lead the unstable football scene on the Atlantic island.
It can be said that extensive experience in Africa has helped Migne have a strong ability to adapt to harsh environments, nurturing a nature that loves challenges and dares to explore new things when working with Haitian football.
In addition to placing his trust in the existing players, he also traveled across Europe and the US to connect with other players of Haitian origin, convincing them to join the national team. These include Keeto Thermoncy from Switzerland, Garven Metusala from Canada, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde from England, Christopher Attys or Ruben Providence from France... Then, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they raised the quality of the national team, helping Haiti overcome high mountains to win a ticket to the World Cup after 52 years of waiting.
This is definitely a “united nations” team, as the players come from more than 10 different countries. But they are not “mercenaries”. What unites them is not the money, but the responsibility and mission they carry for Haiti and its people.
As captain, veteran goalkeeper Johnny Placide, who was born in France, said: "We are a nation that has suffered a lot. When I decided to join the Haiti team, my goal was to bring joy to people who suffer every day through football. It has brought an extraordinary source of strength.
Like other veteran members of the team, I have a heavy responsibility to help the new members understand the importance of representing Haiti, our responsibilities and our mission to the country. We are committed to building a united team, working towards a common goal.”
A strange team
Not only possessing a rare number of multinational players, the Haiti team also surprised with things that seem to never happen in the world of top football. Firstly, their coach, Sebastien Migne, has been in charge for more than a year but has never set foot in this country.
“It is impossible (to work in Haiti), because it is too dangerous,” Migne said in an interview with France Football magazine. “I usually live in the country where I have a contract, but I cannot stay in Haiti. Because there are no more international flights.
I just worked by phone with federation officials. Many of them I didn't even know. The important thing was to stay calm and work together, and that's exactly what we did. As long as we kept in close contact, there shouldn't be any problems."
Second, many of the players who are defending the colors of Haiti have never lived in this country. Their grandparents, parents, and grandparents immigrated to other countries such as England, France, Belgium, Portugal, the United States, Switzerland, etc. and started their careers here. They are the second and third generations of the Haitian community.
When wearing the national team jersey, these players can only play at home in the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Barbados or Curacao because the violence and instability in the country do not allow Haiti to host international matches.
During the entire 2026 World Cup qualifying journey, the Haiti team had to travel to neutral countries, and some people even forgot the schedule, forcing the Haitian Football Federation to ask CONCACAF to fix a country so that the players would not be confused. That is the reason why Haiti chose Curacao as their home ground for the entire final qualifying round.
Strange, extraordinary, admirable… that's what people can say about the 2026 World Cup qualifying journey of Haiti, a team that is becoming a mirror of world football.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/hanh-trinh-den-world-cup-2026-phi-thuong-cua-haiti-doi-tuyen-di-len-tu-ngheo-doi-va-hoang-tan-post1798169.tpo
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