The situation is clear for Haiti: this Tuesday 18 November, they will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ if they beat Nicaragua and Honduras do not defeat Costa Rica. They can also reach the global showcase if they win against Nicaragua by a margin that overtakes Honduras on goal difference, should Los Catrachos emerge victorious at Costa Rica.
Haiti find themselves in this situation thanks to an impressive showing in the final round of Concacaf qualifying, with Sebastien Migne’s side having earned two wins, two draws and only one defeat, a 3-0 loss away to Honduras in Tegucigalpa. They now hope for a favour from Costa Rica on the final matchday, an experienced side they beat 1-0 on Thursday. They must also beat Nicaragua in Willemstad (Curaçao), where Les Grenadiers have played all their home matches.
Veteran goalkeeper Johny Placide, 37, who has 79 caps for Haiti, experienced the 2014, 2018 and 2022 qualifiers without ever reaching the promised land. Born in France, the goalkeeper, who also wore the French U-21 shirt in 2009 alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mamadou Sakho and Sofiane Feghouli, spoke to FIFA about his side’s mentality just days before they could secure their ticket to North America.
Johny Placide: It was a match with a lot of pressure. We knew we had to win to stay in the qualification race. We were playing against a Costa Rica side who were favourites in the group, a very difficult team to face, and I think everyone was in the right mindset. Everyone was focused. We prepared well and communicated the strategy clearly. We saw huge effort from the team, and I think the win was deserved, even though we suffered in the second half.
At the final whistle, it was pure relief. We knew it would be tough, but if we put in a big shift, we could at least score a goal. Then we had to defend because Costa Rica are one of Concacaf’s top sides. The win feels even sweeter when the whole team has suffered and is rewarded in the end.
It’s true that when we saw the group, we knew it would be difficult. But we Haitians like to challenge ourselves, we push ourselves through adversity. In an easier group, maybe we wouldn’t have shown the same determination. Perhaps this was exactly the group we needed to produce this kind of performance.
But it’s not over yet – there’s still one match to go. We’re very happy we beat Costa Rica because it was a must-win game. Also, Honduras lost in Nicaragua (2-0), so everything went our way. Now it will be difficult against Nicaragua, so we need the same ingredients as in the first leg – or more – to beat them, as they have nothing left to play for. A team playing with freedom is always more dangerous than one playing for a result.
No, because we need to feel a certain pressure. When we ease off even slightly, we see that it doesn’t work. I have a lot of experience, and whenever our backs have been against the wall or we’ve faced tough opponents, we’ve always been able to respond. That’s our mentality. On Thursday, we had to get a result, and you could feel it from the moment we left the hotel – in training, in the dressing room, in the warm-up. There was a positive energy. From the first minute, I knew we were going to get a result. I saw everyone’s behaviour, and it didn’t surprise me.
We’re very, very calm. We learned from the first match against Nicaragua, where we won 3-0 and then lost to Honduras. We saw that we can be punished immediately if we ease off even slightly, so we must learn from that. We’re trying to stay calm and we know nothing is decided. In football, there’s no magic formula. Anything can happen, but we must be ready for a tough battle to secure our World Cup ticket.
It would be an immense source of pride for an entire nation – not just for us players. For young people, it would be a showcase, a new perspective. Honestly, I wouldn’t know how to describe it, because we’re not there yet and I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Right now, the difficulty is not knowing if we’ll make it, but we know we’re only one step away. We must stay composed and leave ourselves with no regrets.
Not being able to play at home was a big disappointment – it’s a disadvantage. When we play in Costa Rica or Honduras, the stadium is full, the crowd roars – it’s like a twelfth man. But qualifying this way would be a huge source of pride for us and the Haitian people, knowing we might be the first team in the world to qualify without playing a single qualifier at home.
For me, at 37 and closer to the end than the beginning, finishing with a World Cup would be an immense satisfaction. That’s what I told the team after the match against Costa Rica, with tears in my eyes: I’ve been in the national team for many years – it’s not an easy ride. It’s not every year that a nation like ours reaches this stage of the competition. For me, it’s the first time in more than ten years that I’m this close to the World Cup. So after all the sacrifices and effort, finishing with qualification would be magnificent.
I have the role of all the veterans: to bring composure to the group, to help new players understand what it means to represent the Haitian crest, our responsibility to the country, our mission. Today, we are a people who suffer – life in Haiti isn’t easy. When I decided to join the national team, my goal was to bring joy to people who suffer daily through football. That’s an extraordinary power. These are the kinds of messages we try to convey. And also to build a united group, because the most important thing is shared experience, objectives, and moving in the same direction together.
