With 81 days – and counting – to go until the FIFA World Cup 2026™ gets under way, the Haitian national team are gearing up to make their long-awaited second appearance at international football’s premier event. Following a 52-year absence from the ultimate stage, Les Rouges et Bleus are set to pit their wits against the crème de la crème of the world game under the talented tutelage of globetrotting tactician Sebastien Migne.
As they step up their preparations for this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup™, the Caribbean team are scheduled to contest a pair of friendlies this month at Toronto Stadium, which will host six mouth-watering match-ups during the global extravaganza. Haiti will kick off the double dose of action by testing their mettle against Tunisia – who themselves will grace the fast-approaching global gathering – on 28 March before squaring off against Iceland three days later.
Haiti have been drawn alongside Brazil, Morocco and Scotland in a daunting-looking Group C line-up, with the opposition in the two friendly run-outs having been hand-picked to give the team a taster of the sorts of challenges they could face on North American soil.
“We’ve been handed a tough group featuring Brazil, who in everyone’s book are the most iconic team in World Cup history, and a Moroccan side that made it through to the semi-finals last time round,” Migne told FIFA. “Looking on the bright side, we’ll certainly be in the limelight, which is a tremendous reward for the boys. We’ll now have to go out there and prove that we’re up to the challenge.”
The 53-year-old, who steered the islanders to the promised land of World Cup qualification without having ever set foot in the strife-torn Caribbean country, is no stranger to the rigours of national-team football, having plied his trade as assistant coach of the likes of Oman, Congo DR and Togo, before becoming a manager in his own right with Congo, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.
However, the finest hour of Migne’s nomadic coaching career undoubtedly came in the Cameroon dugout at Qatar 2022, where he served as Rigobert Song’s right-hand man.
The Indomitable Lions enjoyed a creditable group-stage campaign, which began with a rather cruel 1-0 defeat to Switzerland following an enterprising display. In their next outing, against Serbia, the CAF heavyweights conjured up a colossal comeback to claim a point after having found themselves 3-1 down in the 53rd minute. Requiring victory in their group curtain-closer against the heavily fancied Brazilians, who were already home and dry, to give them any hope of advancing, captain Vincent Aboubakar nodded home the only goal of the game in second-half stoppage time.
Despite having secured the scalp of the much-changed South American juggernauts, it proved to be a bittersweet night for the African aces, with the Swiss’s 3-2 success over Serbia ultimately taking them through alongside the Brazilians.
Four years on from that epic exploit at Lusail Stadium and with his focus on masterminding a second win over the Canarinho, Migne relished the chance to relive that most heroic of triumphs.
“I was lucky enough to come up against Brazil at the last World Cup with Cameroon. Things didn’t work out too badly at all for us in that one,” he quipped. “We’ll be looking to repeat that feat. Had it been best of ten, we wouldn’t have stood a chance, but anything can happen in a one-off match. That’s what we all love about football and the World Cup.”
After waxing lyrical about the star-studded Brazilian squad, Migne was quick to pour praise on his Seleção counterpart, Carlo Ancelotti, against whom he is preparing to wage a tactical tussle. “Ancelotti is a role model for any coach. He sets the benchmark.”
The Frenchman in the Haitian hotseat is fully aware that the bout with the Brazilians has propelled excitement levels amongst the nation’s ambitious fan base beyond fever pitch. “They’ll get to see us play Brazil, and I think they’ll revel in the experience. However, knowing them, they’ll be expecting big things from us, which brings a bit of added pressure. It’ll be down to the staff and me to devise a game plan to ensure we’re up to the task.”
Although Migne is under no illusions about the arduous assignments that await his troops at the global bonanza, the competitive streak that has served him so well throughout his career soon shines through: “We’ll have to up our game yet another notch. We’re not going there just to make up the numbers. When you’re involved in any tournament, your goal has to be to progress to the next round, which in this case means getting out of the group.”
With the talent and tactical nous in their ranks and a whole nation willing them on, you certainly wouldn’t put it past Haiti to spring an earth-shattering surprise or two at what promises to be the greatest show on the planet.
Photos: Concacaf
