PROUD HAITI 'AMBASSADORS'

Coach Migne hails his players after they take ravaged country to the World Cup

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Joyous fans celebrating in the streets of Port-au-Prince, after Haiti qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico following their 2-0 win over Nicaragua on Nov 18 in Curacao.

(PHOTO: AFP)

Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, is going to the 2026 World Cup - the culmination of an 19-month period of painstaking work by coach Sebastien Migne, who is yet to even visit the country.

“Even my wife said to me: ‘What are you doing, Seb’?” he told AFP on Nov 19, when recalling the moment he accepted the Haiti job in March 2024.

What the 52-year-old Frenchman has done subsequently is build a competitive team in the face of a major political, security and humanitarian crisis, and guide them to next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, following the 2-0 win over Nicaragua on Nov 18.

“I saw some images on social media, it was madness in Haiti,” Migne said.

Fireworks and dancing erupted across the country in a reprieve from gang violence, as people came together to celebrate their national team punching their ticket to the global showpiece.