No story at the 2026 World Cup carries more emotion than Haiti's. Les Grenadiers are back at the finals for the first time since 1974, a 52-year wait ended by a squad built almost entirely in the diaspora. Under Sebastien Migne, a coach who has never even been able to set foot in the country he leads, Haiti qualified through CONCACAF on merit. Sunderland's Wilson Isidor and Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde headline a young group, with all-time top scorer Duckens Nazon and veteran captain Johny Placide for ballast. They land in a daunting Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Scotland. This is the squad, the group, the fixtures and a return decades in the making.
Haiti are young, athletic and increasingly stocked with players from Europe's professional leagues. These are the names the campaign will turn on.
The headline name. The Sunderland striker switched his allegiance from France to Haiti and made his debut in March 2026. Powerful, direct and a real Premier League-level finisher, he gives Les Grenadiers a focal point they have rarely had.
The creator. The Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, born in France and a former French youth international, chose Haiti and is arguably the most accomplished player in the squad. He brings control, drive and top-flight class to the middle of the pitch.
The talisman. Haiti's all-time leading goalscorer was decisive in qualifying, with six goals including a hat-trick against Costa Rica. A well-travelled forward, he brings physical presence and the composure of a career spent across several countries.
The leader. At 38, the goalkeeper is the captain and the most-capped player in the squad, with nearly 80 appearances. His experience in France and his calm presence behind a young defence make him the steadying influence Haiti need.
The target man. A tall, powerful centre-forward playing his club football in Turkey, Pierrot gives Haiti an aerial threat and a focal point up front. He shares the attacking load with Isidor and Nazon in a forward line full of options.
The architect. The French coach assembled and organised this squad despite never being able to enter Haiti due to the security crisis, running everything from camps abroad. Taking Les Grenadiers to a World Cup is one of the great recent feats of management.
Sebastien Migne named a young 26, with an average age of around 24 and almost every player developed abroad. Goalkeeper Johny Placide is captain. Below are the confirmed key names by position; club listings can shift over the summer window.
This is a list of the confirmed key names rather than the entire 26. Migne leaned on the experience of Placide and Nazon while building around younger, European-based talent such as Isidor, Bellegarde and Etienne. Except for a handful of home-based players, almost the whole squad developed abroad, in France, Belgium, England, Portugal, the United States and Canada. Club listings can change over the summer window.
Three threads define Haiti's 2026 campaign: a 52-year wait ended, a squad gathered from across the world, and the long shadow of 1974.
A nation's dream. Haiti had not reached a World Cup since 1974. Topping their final CONCACAF qualifying group ended a 52-year absence and gave a country in crisis a rare moment of pure joy.
The backbone. With football at home disrupted by insecurity, this team was assembled from the diaspora. Players raised in France, England, Belgium and North America have come together to wear the red and blue.
The inspiration. In 1974, Emmanuel Sanon scored against Italy to end Dino Zoff's record of 1,142 minutes without conceding. That goal is the defining image of Haitian football, and this generation gets to write a new chapter.
Haiti were drawn into Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Scotland. Brazil are the seeds and overwhelming favourites, with Morocco, the 2022 semi-finalists, also a powerhouse. Haiti are the clear outsiders, but the opener against Scotland looks like their best chance to make history, before the showpiece meeting with Brazil in Philadelphia.
The Scotland game is the one Haiti will target, with the Brazil and Morocco fixtures among the toughest assignments in the group stage. For the full picture of all 104 games, see the WorldCuply.com match schedule, and read our guides to Group C rivals Brazil and Morocco.
Haiti are among the longest shots in the tournament, but simply being here is already a triumph, and the expanded format leaves a door ajar:
Realistically, reaching the knockouts from this group would be a sensation. But a competitive showing against Scotland, and a creditable account against the favourites, would make this one of the feel-good stories of the 2026 World Cup.
Haiti are one of 48 nations heading to the 2026 World Cup. Explore the rest of the WorldCuply.com guide:
Haiti's Group C opponents and the seeded favourites, Vinicius Junior and the chase for a sixth star.
Read the Brazil guide ›Haiti's Group C rivals, the 2022 semi-finalists and AFCON-pedigree side led by Achraf Hakimi.
Read the Morocco guide ›The defending champions in Group J, Messi's title defence and the 2022-core squad.
Read the Argentina guide ›All 104 fixtures across 16 host cities, with kickoff times you can filter to your team.
Open the schedule ›This guide was hand-written from the following reporting and reference pages, used to confirm Haiti's squad, coach, qualification, group and fixtures:
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