Haiti at the World Cup is more than an underdog tale – it is the story of global migration

When Haiti’s soccer team lines up against Scotland on June 13, 2026, its players will be representing the Caribbean nation at a World Cup for the first time since 1974 . They will also embody the complexities and possibilities of Haiti and its diaspora. Of the 26 players selected for the squad , only 10 were born in Haiti. And just one, Woodensky Pierre, plays for a Haitian club. Twelve were born in France of Haitian parents, one in Canada, one in Switzerland and two in the United States. The team is both a symbol of national pride and a condensation of battles Haitians have long fought for dignity and self-determination. Soccer commentator Nico Cantor captured this powerfully when he effused about the deep meaning of Haiti’s qualification for the World Cup on Nov. 18, 2025, exactly 222 years after revolutionary leader Jean‑Jacques Dessalines fought a famous battle against the French on the way to independence. “Their national team has given Haiti something to be proud of,” Cantor said. “It is historic for many reasons.” Imagined communities and 11 named players During the World Cup, individual actions can catapult a player to the status of national icon or never-forgotten villain. But we also see teams either connect and pull together or fragment and fall apart. It can become a powerful metaphor for the fate of nations themselves, resonating with a broader human experience. How does this dynamic shift when a team, like Haiti, consists of players whose personal stories are ones of migration to another country, but who have chosen to represent the nations of their parents in international competition? Haiti is not alone. Since 2004, FIFA has allowed players who have played for the national team of one country to switch to another if they do so before their 21st birthday. In 2020, the rules were further loosened so that players can change in some contexts after that age. Haitians at the World Cup The broader history of Haitians at the World Cup has long been shaped by diasporic movement. At the 1950 World Cup, when a scrappy U.S. team composed mostly of immigrants famously defeated England 1-0 , it was a Haitian man, Joe Gaetjens , who scored the crucial goal. Decades later, Jozy Altidore , a child of Haitian immigrants, played in every game for the U.S. during its 2010 World Cup run. Until now, Haiti’s national teams have appeared in only two World Cups. Most recently, the country’s team qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, overcoming many obstacles in the process . Like the men’s team in this year’s competition, the women could not train or play games at home in Haiti. But playing for Haiti helped their star player, Melchie Durmonay, begin a professional career in France, where she plays for the leading team, Olympique de Lyon, and is considered one of the best players in global women’s soccer. The men’s team has previously competed only in the 1974 tournament. On that occasion a team made up of players who had all been born in Haiti shocked an Italy team famed for its impregnable defense. Early in the second half, Haiti’s Emmanuel Sanon broke away to catch a masterful pass downfield, dribbled expertly around an Italian defender and powered the ball into the goal . It remains the most celebrated goal in Haitian football. And although Haiti lost that game 3-1, Sanon became a national hero. He went on to a professional career in Florida in the 1980s and later managed the Haitian national team. When he died in Orlando in 2008, he was buried and received a state funeral in Haiti. A soccer park is named after him in Miami’s Little Haiti in recognition of his place in the country’s history. A diaspora on the pitch The life histories brought together for the 2026 tournament capture the broader story of Haitian migration, but they also illustrate the different kinds of opportunities young athletes have in different countries. Some of Haiti’s players, like Hannes Delcroix , have had access to the most elite and well-resourced structures in global soccer. He was born in the Artibonite Valley in Haiti but as a child moved with his parents to Belgium. There, he trained at the youth academy of the Belgium professional team Anderlecht and also played on Belgium’s international youth teams. He now plays professionally in Switzerland. But it is France’s soccer infrastructure that has in many ways most deeply shaped the trajectories of Haiti’s team. The Haitian diaspora in France is much smaller than in the U.S. – it is estimated at around 100,000 – but its children have had access to one of the most successful systems for soccer training in the world. Facing many social and economic barriers, children of immigrants, many of whom live in the housing projects in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, often see an athletic career as their best chance for success. And the country invests heavily in sporting infrastructure with high level of state investment at the local and national level. As a result, immigrant communities in France have become some of the most remarkable generators of soccer talent in the world.