Grenadiers in final pre-tournament stretch — 12 days to kickoff

Twelve days from Haiti's opening Group C match against Scotland in Boston (June 13, 9 p.m. ET), *Les Grenadiers* are in their pre-tournament preparation phase with no major breaking news in the last 24 hours. The quiet-day fallback applies.

Historical spotlight — Manno Sanon, Munich, June 15, 1974. Fifty-two years ago, Emmanuel "Manno" Sanon produced the defining moment of Haitian football history. In the 46th minute of Haiti's first-ever World Cup match against Italy, Sanon received a pass from Philippe Vorbe — off a headed flick by Nazaire — and beat legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff, ending Zoff's 1,143-minute international shutout streak. The goal remains the only time Haiti has led a World Cup match. Haiti lost 3–1, then fell to Poland and Argentina, exiting without a point, but Sanon's strike echoed far beyond the result. Hugh McIlvanney of *The Observer* wrote that Sanon "did what some of the greatest players in the world had failed to do" against Zoff.

As 2026 approaches — Haiti's second-ever World Cup, first since 1974 — that moment stands as the standard against which every Grenadier will be measured. Group C opponents Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland await.