Resilient Haiti deserved of World Cup qualification says coach

WILLEMSTAD :Squad unity and resilience were the overriding factors behind Haiti's unlikely qualification for the World Cup, coach Sebastien Migne said after a 2-0 triumph over Nicaragua secured the strife-torn Caribbean nation a place at the 2026 finals.

Haiti overcame considerable odds to qualify for their second World Cup appearance, after a disastrous debut in 1974, topping their qualifying group.

That was despite the team being forced to play all their matches away from the country where armed gangs have taken control of almost all of the capital, Port-au-Prince, amid a conflict that has forced some 1.3 million people from their homes and fuelled famine-level hunger.

"It's fantastic that after 52 years' absence Haiti has qualified for the biggest footballing stage," Migne told a press conference on Tuesday in Curacao, where they hosted their last fixture.

They had a few hundred supporters watching them qualify and Migne addressed a single reporter afterwards in an empty press conference room in stark contrast to the packed auditoriums where coaches from top teams field the media's questions.

"I'm happy to make everybody proud and for my players because they deserve it. I sometimes pushed the older players to the limits, but it wasn't for nothing," Migne said.

"We had a road map laid out from the beginning. We knew where we were going but we also knew it would be a steep road. But we didn't give it up, we did it all together."

Haiti had been trailing in the standings after Honduras beat them 3-0 in October but bounced back to ensure first place in Group C with wins over Costa Rica and Nicaragua in their final two fixtures over the past six days.

"We never panicked. I know how to do it because I qualified for the previous