The FIFA World Cup 2026™ was written in the stars for Duke Lacroix. The Haiti left-back grew up in central New Jersey and attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the same city where Haiti will take on five-time world champions Brazil on 19 June in their second match of Group C.
The son of Haitian parents, Lacroix plays his club football with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks of the USL Championship and was a key contributor in Haiti’s World Cup qualification, scoring a goal and adding two assists in eight matches.
Les Grenadiers will play in their first global finals since 1974, opening with Scotland before their Seleção showdown, followed by the group finale against Qatar 2022 semi-finalists Morocco. Coming off two solid performances in the FIFA Series 2026™ in March, Lacroix tells FIFA that fans can expect a Haiti side brimming with confidence come June.
Duke Lacroix: I think I will be. I’ve picked up a slight injury that I’ve been dealing with the last few weeks. I’m recovering and getting back from that, so I haven’t been as involved with the group directly, but I should be turning the corner here shortly. Hopefully I can get the minutes and sharpness that I need to be prepared for the World Cup. Anytime you’re entering a tournament, you want to be playing your best football.
It’s actually very challenging because you want to commit 100 per cent to your club, but there’s always the risk of injury in any year. This year more than any, you don’t want to be picking something up at this late stage. My opinion is that if you take your foot off the gas, so to speak, then either you’re not going to be sharp, or you’re kind of increasing your chance for an injury. If you’re not fully committing to something, that takes a toll on your body as well. When you’re not fully prepared to engage in the action, that’s possibly when something happens.
I thought it went well. It was an opportunity for the group to get in some proper football and build on the tactics and the way we want to play moving forward. I think the most important thing was being able to get together. We had two decent results, [1-0 loss to Tunisia; 1-1 draw vs Iceland], so we’re confident coming off of the camp that just happened and everyone’s moving in the right direction.
Oh man…. I called my parents from the field immediately after. My mom was yelling on the phone, I’m pretty sure my dad was crying. I was extremely emotional as well. When you’re playing for your national team, you’re representing a culture and that kind of sticks with you, regardless of where you go to play. I love playing for the Switchbacks. I’ve loved being at the clubs that I’ve played for, and I committed myself fully to those clubs, but you leave those clubs eventually. Football leaves you eventually, but I will always be a Haitian person, that never changes. It has such a deep foundational meaning to who I am and what my identity is and the people that love and support me.
Honestly, it’s the entire experience. Just trying to drink it all in. Every moment from the pre-tournament camp to the last match. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s what you dream about and to be able to live the dream, I just want to be present in every moment. That is a goal of mine during the World Cup.
At that level and at that stage, there’s no easy team. Every game will be intense. With international football anyone can beat anyone on any given day. The quality is there across the pitch on both sides of the field. In looking at each opponent, we’re going to get the scouting report. You obviously know the names that you’re playing against, so I think we’ll have to take each one game by game. We know the quality that’s there, regardless of whether it’s Brazil, Morocco, or Scotland.
The names associated with Brazil are icons of football. So yeah, it’s a special moment just to be on the same pitch as a decorated nation like Brazil.
I was born and raised on the East Coast and went to college at the University of Pennsylvania. That’s actually where our training camp will be, so it is kind of a full circle moment for myself. I’m having the opportunity to go back to that campus and be playing there, so I’m really excited about that.
I will have a lot of support, a lot of people coming. There will be a few family members there, also college friends and friends from growing up. They’ve been able to get tickets for the game. We play Scotland in Boston, which isn’t too far away either. It’s fortunate being on the East Coast where things are a lot closer, so I have a lot of friends and family who are planning to make the trip to both of those matches.
