Scotland facing tricky test against dangerous Haiti in World Cup opener

[p]One of the feel-good stories of World Cup qualifying, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] will now play at the tournament for the first time since 1974 - their only previous appearance.[/p][p]Their route to the 2026 edition has been far from easy, and many are predicting a swift exit, but overcoming hardship has been a theme of the national team's journey.[/p][p]Haiti has been troubled by gang violence and political crisis to the extent that their 'home' games had to be played at neutral venues. That didn't stop them from making history in qualifying, though, fending off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/costa-rica/C4ePE2kq/"]Costa Rica[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/honduras/fP8cJrsS/"]Honduras[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nicaragua/6L9QjkfT/"]Nicaragua[/a] to top their group.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/haiti-nk4v10Z1/scotland-fZRU25WH/?mid=QBBoaW63"]Scotland will be favourites heading into their opening game[/a], but the Haitians know how to upset the odds and will provide a stern test for Steve Clarke's side.[/b][/p][video alt="Haiti vs Scotland (video preview)" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="40d52016-6f8b-4d0d-a43f-6b02b83d63b7" id="5e1398d5-eb4f-4626-807c-b2a69be0d343" /][h2]An influx of new players[/h2][p]Haiti's rise over the last couple of years has been no accident. The squad has seen an influx of new players, with stars opting to switch allegiances and commit to Les Grenadiers.[/p][p]Not all of those switches have been a result of their success, either, with the likes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/delcroix-hannes/WbdzxlCl/"]Hannes Delcroix[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bellegarde-jean-ricner/YsThwpbL/"]Jean-Ricner Bellegarde[/a] declaring for the national team at the start of the qualifying campaign rather than at the end.[/p][p][b]Those two names might be known to fans of the Premier League. Bellegarde has been one of the better performers in a poor [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wolves/j3Azpf5d/"]Wolves[/a] side, while Delcroix featured for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/burnley/z3dmTMMO/"]Burnley[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/swansea/K6xezbY7/"]Swansea[/a] over the past couple of seasons before moving on to Swiss club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lugano/IHaUjgT1/"]Lugano[/a].[/b][/p][p]The former is an effective, high-energy midfielder who can contribute at both ends of the pitch but often thrives slightly further forward. He registered seven assists in the 2024/25 Premier League season.[/p][embed guid="941a9cb4-467e-4891-963d-2aa9fbf39bb4" url="https://x.com/fhfhaiti/status/2063819294446612787" social-type="twitter" /][p]Delcroix will be a pillar of Haiti's defence and is capable of playing centrally or on the left, with his experience across top leagues in Europe (England, Switzerland, Belgium) coming in handy on the world's biggest stage.[/p][p][b]Perhaps the crown jewel of their new players, though, is striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/isidor-wilson/veOg2tx3/"]Wilson Isidor[/a]. The 25-year-old switched from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] to represent Haiti in March 2026 and has been a success since his arrival.[/b][/p][p]Isidor has featured three times for Les Grenadiers and contributed with two goals and one assist - bringing another level of quality to their attacking options. He played a key role [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/haiti-nk4v10Z1/new-zealand-rLctHkpU/?mid=63JNxuGi"]in their 4-0 win over New Zealand[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/haiti-nk4v10Z1/peru-Uend67D3/?mid=b5QfdnOP"]found the net in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Peru.[/a][/p][embed guid="69e7fdf5-8bd0-4d9e-a9aa-981734d30a73" url="https://x.com/fhfhaiti/status/2063053765922504843" social-type="twitter" /][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sunderland/WSzc94ws/"]Sunderland[/a] forward has made a big impact domestically since moving to England, registering 19 goals in 82 games despite not always being a regular starter. Isidor netted six in the Premier League this season and has proved he is capable of a range of strikes - from spectacular efforts to poacher's finishes.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/scotland/fZRU25WH/"]Scotland[/a], although no doubt familiar with Isidor's quality, will have to keep an eye out for the threat he brings.[/p][h2]Other factors in Haiti's rise[/h2][p]Just as big a contributor to Haiti's success has been the players who have been there long before the World Cup qualifiers.[/p][p]Goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/placide-johnny/hz9iLSns/"]Johnny Placide[/a] - once of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oldham/O4voiHlk/"]Oldham[/a], now playing for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bastia/AZwK8L6R/"]Bastia[/a] - has been around the national team since 2011 and holds the record for the third-most appearances of all time.[/p][p]His influence as captain will be felt throughout the squad, as will the attacking talents of winger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/deedson-louicius/bqX8zpK2/"]Louicius Deedson[/a].[/p][p]The 25-year-old bagged four goals in qualifying and averages a goal contribution once in every three games for Les Grenadiers.[/p][p]All of these players come together under experienced international manager Sebastien Migne.[/p][image alt="Haiti manager Sebastien Migne" id="cdd85ab6-5447-4301-84eb-fc872599208b" credit-line="Thomas Shea-Imagn Images via Reuters" guid="3c27c6a7-979f-40ec-934a-e8b1dbf6a757" original-width="2452" original-height="1799" /][p]The Frenchman has led the likes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]DR Congo[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kenya/CIAJw1QK/"]Kenya[/a] in his career so far and was most recently the assistant manager of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/zk1uVG2D/"]Cameroon[/a].[/p][p]He favoured a variation of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation during Haiti's qualifying campaign but has since switched to a slightly more structured 4-4-2 in the pre-World Cup friendlies.[/p][p]That change might coincide with the addition of Isidor, who often works best with a strike partner alongside him. That will likely be target man [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pierrot-frantzdy/Q7ptRtTl/"]Frantzdy Pierrot[/a], who offers a different sort of profile to Isidor, standing tall at six feet four inches.[/p][p]The 31-year-old has been a mainstay of Les Grenadiers' national team for almost a decade and has 34 goals in 51 appearances.[/p][p]A front two could also open up room in the side for Haiti's record goalscorer [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nazon-duckens/nXkZ0apR/"]Duckens Nazon[/a], who has bagged 44 goals in 78 matches.[/p][p]A better defensive structure might be the way forward for Haiti at the World Cup and against Scotland - with Migne's side often deploying a direct, counter-attacking style.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/haiti-nk4v10Z1/scotland-fZRU25WH/?mid=QBBoaW63"]Follow Scotland vs Haiti with Flashscore![/a][/h2][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]