Haiti played their opening 2026 World Cup group match against Scotland on June 13, losing 1-0 with John McGinn scoring the winning goal for Scotland [1, 2]. It marked Haiti's first World Cup appearance since 1974, ending a 52-year absence from the tournament [3, 4, 5, 6].
Haiti is in Group C with Scotland, Brazil, and Morocco and is ranked 83rd in the world — the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament behind New Zealand at 85th [4, 6]. Despite being underdogs, Haiti pushed Scotland hard, nearly scoring late in the match with a close header by Frantzdy Pierrot in the 85th minute [1, 2].
Coach Sebastien Migne said the team remains hopeful to secure their first-ever World Cup victory and qualify for the knockout rounds. "I hope we can be one of the surprises of the tournament," Migne said. "If we want to win games we have to score goals regardless of whom we are facing," he added [4]. He also acknowledged a tough road ahead: "With Haiti, nothing is ever easy. If we are to qualify, it will be a struggle, and maybe it will happen in the last few minutes of the third game," Migne said [2].
Scotland's squad included midfielder Scott McTominay, who was fit and ready after recovering from a stomach bug. Scotland coach Steve Clarke called McTominay "perfect and ready to go" but said, "I think I have got 26 superstars here. To try and put so much onto one person is not fair" [4, 6].
Haiti is scheduled to play Brazil on June 19 and Morocco on June 24 in their remaining group matches [3, 4, 1, 5, 6, 2]. These games present their best chance to earn points and advance to the knockout phase.
Coach Migne emphasized his players' resilience and the importance of finding the net in upcoming matches. The team will look to build on their competitive showing against Scotland as they aim for a historic first World Cup win.
