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Daily Brief · 2026-06-12
FIFA World Cup 2026

Haiti on the eve of history: Grenadiers ready for Scotland opener

Twenty-four hours before Haiti's opening Group C fixture, Les Grenadiers are in final preparation mode at their Port St. Lucie base camp. Coach Sébastien Migné has no injury concerns heading into Saturday's 9 p.m. ET kickoff against Scotland at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts — the first World Cup match Haiti has played in 52 years.

ESPN's predicted lineup places captain Johny Placide in goal behind a back four of Carlens Arcus, Ricardo Adé, Hannes Delcroix, and Martin Expérience. The midfield trio of Josué Casimir, Danley Jean-Jacques, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde sits ahead of them, with Ruben Providence operating in an advanced role behind forwards Duckens Nazon and Wilson Isidor.

Scotland arrive with a significant late blow: Premier League midfielder Billy Gilmour has been ruled out of the tournament entirely, replaced in the squad by Manchester United's Tyler Fletcher. Striker Ché Adams is listed as a doubt.

Off the pitch, FIFA forced a last-minute change to Haiti's home kit after ruling that its original design — depicting a scene from Haiti's war of independence — violated regulations on political speech. Manufacturer Saeta confirmed the revision was implemented in collaboration with the FHF. The shirts remain a talking point among diaspora supporters gathering in Boston ahead of kickoff.

Algeria's Mustapha Gorbal will referee the match.

"Sebastian Migne's Haiti overcame steep odds to make it to the World Cup and will not be cowed on the biggest stage of them all." — ESPN

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Schedule
Schedule

Group C — Haiti's path

TeamJPts
Brazil00
Morocco00
Haiti00
Scotland00
Full schedule →
Squad
Squad

The 26 Grenadiers

The full squad by position, with clubs.

See the 26 →
Clubs
Clubs · soon

The Haitian league

Directory of D1 & D2 clubs — coming after the tournament.

1974

Manno Sanon, the goal that silenced Italy

Haiti's only other World Cup. Sanon beat Dino Zoff and ended 1,142 minutes of Italian invincibility. 52 years later, the Grenadiers return.

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