World Cup 2026: Haiti’s message of hope in a rare appearance at the finals

Haiti have been playing their ‘home’ match 500 miles away in Curacao.

16 of Haiti’s players were born outside of the five countries. The squad of 26 players represents 25 clubs from 15 countries.

Frenchman Migne was Cameroon’s assistant coach in Qatar 2022.

“He’s a magical coach,” Middy said.

“When I watch the Haitian games, I can’t explain how he does it. I asked him: “It’s not me, it’s the players. I have no secret. I will tell you to enter your heart. “

And that’s exactly what Nazon, born in France to Haitian parents, did.

Regardless of his 44 goals in 80 games, his love for his country earned him the title of hero, Midi said.

“We call it Haitian chuchu,” he said, referring to the French term for love.

“The people of Haiti will always see in him, an example of someone who feels more Haitian than anyone who was born and raised in Haiti.”

His team-mate Hannes Delcroix, a former Burnley defender, was born there but was adopted by a Belgian family when he was two years old.

He never returned and only in recent years has he been in contact with his mother and sisters.

“I’ve never seen them in real life before, but we call them over the phone,” he said. “At the beginning of the course, it’s a strange feeling because you don’t have any connections and relationships.

“I think I just want to know if she’s okay first, if she’s okay, if everyone’s okay. If there’s anything I can help with, things like that.”

It is this connection with his biological family that has inspired him to pledge his international allegiance to Haiti in 2025.

In the year The 27-year-old, who has played once for Belgium in 2020, said: “Now you’re at a point where you ask yourself what do you want and what country do you want to play for? And for me, that was Haiti.”

The cynical view is that Delcroix chose Haiti only because they were on the brink of World Cup qualification, but he says it has been a journey of self-discovery.

“It was always in the back of my head that I could play for Haiti. When we first met, I felt like I wasn’t alone,” he said.

“When I’m with the Haitian team, it really helps to understand more about the culture and the language. I don’t speak Creole, so that’s something I really want to explore.”