The Haitian Football Federation has named the 26-man squad that will represent the country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking Les Grenadiers’ first appearance at football’s premier tournament in 52 years.
Head coach Sébastien Migné announced the roster ahead of a group-stage schedule that pits Haiti against five-time world champion Brazil, 2022 semifinalist Morocco, and Scotland in Group C — widely viewed as one of the most challenging draws in the tournament.
The squad draws almost entirely from players competing in European and North American leagues, reflecting Haitian football’s international footprint and the growing role of diaspora talent in the national team’s resurgence.
Migné, a French manager, took charge of Haiti after stints leading national teams in Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo. His most prominent prior tournament experience came at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he led Kenya through the group stage. He guided Haiti through CONCACAF qualifying without ever setting foot in the country — political instability and a security crisis forced the national team to stage all of its qualifying matches at neutral venues, with the decisive final win against Nicaragua played at Ergilio Hato Stadium in Curaçao.
Group C: A Test of Resilience
Drawn into Group C, Haiti faces three opponents with deeper recent World Cup pedigrees. Brazil arrives under coach Carlo Ancelotti as the only nation in the field with five tournament titles. Morocco, under new head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, reached the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — the first African nation to do so. Scotland brings physical play, set-piece danger, and a sizable traveling support.
Haiti’s three group-stage fixtures:
- Saturday, June 13, 2026 — Haiti vs. Scotland at Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Thursday, June 19, 2026 — Brazil vs. Haiti at Philadelphia Stadium
- Wednesday, June 24, 2026 — Morocco vs. Haiti at Atlanta Stadium
The opening match against Scotland is widely viewed as Haiti’s clearest path to a result. Both nations are arriving as underdogs in the group, and the matchup is the most evenly weighted on paper. Migné is expected to deploy a compact 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 out of possession, prioritizing defensive organization and fast transition play. The fixtures against Brazil and Morocco will require even greater defensive discipline and decisive moments on the counter-attack.
Johny Placide — Haiti’s longtime captain and a former French Ligue 1 player with experience at SC Bastia — is expected to start in goal. Behind him, Alexandre Pierre and Josué Duverger provide depth and competition for minutes.
Burnley’s Hannes Delcroix and Angers SCO’s Carlens Arcus are expected to anchor the back line, joined by Ricardo Adé of Ecuadorian side LDU Quito, Belgian-based Jean Kévin Duverne of KAA Gent, and Martin Expérience of AS Nancy-Lorraine. Duke Lacroix, Wilguens Paugain, and Keeto Thermoncy round out the defensive options.
A Premier League Core in Midfield
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is widely seen as the squad’s most influential creator. Born in France and a former French Under-21 international, Bellegarde switched allegiance to Haiti in August 2025 and has rapidly become central to Migné’s plans. He is joined in midfield by Danley Jean-Jacques of MLS side Philadelphia Union, Carl-Fred Sainté of USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC, and Leverton Pierre, Woodensky Pierre, Josué Casimir, and Dominique Simon.
Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor — who switched allegiance from France to Haiti earlier this year and made his debut for his new nation in March 2026 — adds Premier League pedigree to a forward line led by Duckens Nazon, Haiti’s all-time leading goalscorer. Nazon scored six goals in qualifying, including a hat-trick against Costa Rica. Frantzdy Pierrot, Deedson Louicius, Ruben Providence, Yassin Fortuné, Lenny Joseph, and Derrick Etienne Jr. complete the attacking options, giving Migné a mix of pace, technical quality, and physical presence to deploy across the group stage.
Haiti finished atop Group C in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying, recording three wins and two draws to seal direct qualification.
The result was made all the more remarkable by the circumstances. With Haiti unable to host home matches due to the security crisis, every fixture was played abroad.
This will be Haiti’s second-ever World Cup appearance. The country debuted at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, where the team lost all three group-stage matches against Italy, Poland, and Argentina, conceding 14 goals. Haiti remains the only Caribbean nation to have qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
For the Haitian diaspora across the United States and Canada, the team’s return represents a generational moment of pride and visibility, particularly with all three of Haiti’s group-stage matches scheduled in U.S. host cities — Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta — that are home to substantial Haitian-American communities.
The Complete 26-Man Squad
Goalkeepers: Johny Placide, Alexandre Pierre, Josué Duverger
Defenders: Carlens Arcus, Wilguens Paugain, Ricardo Adé, Jean Kévin Duverne, Hannes Delcroix, Keeto Thermoncy, Martin Expérience, Duke Lacroix
Midfielders: Dominique Simon, Leverton Pierre, Woodensky Pierre, Carl-Fred Sainté, Danley Jean-Jacques, Josué Casimir, Jean Ricner Bellegarde
Attackers: Duckens Nazon, Frantzdy Pierrot, Deedson Louicius, Ruben Providence, Yassin Fortuné, Wilson Isidor, Lenny Joseph, Derrick Etienne Jr.
https://ctninfo.com/fifa-world-cup-2026-haiti-unveils-its-26-man-grenadiers-squad-to-challenge-the-elite/
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