Louicius Don Deedson didn’t realize the significance. Not at first, anyway.
Nine minutes into Haiti’s final match of World Cup qualification, Deedson gathered the ball on the right wing, froze his defender with a body feint before cutting inside onto his favored left foot. A quick one-two pass with his teammate allowed the FC Dallas winger to skip past a second Nicaragua player, and then another, and then another. Finally, the space was there. Deedson fired a low shot past the goalkeeper and gave Haiti an all-important lead.
“In the moment, I didn't really value the goal,” Deedson admitted months later. “For me, it was just like any game where I score. Because it was still early in the game, I knew we still had a lot more to accomplish.
“During the game I didn't really know what (that goal) meant. But after the game, when I saw the reaction from the population, from the people back home, from Haitians in the U.S., I was so happy to see how happy every Haitian got after that moment.”
Haiti’s joy was richly deserved. Deedson’s goal, the first in a 2-0 win, lifted the Caribbean nation over Nicaragua and confirmed qualification for the 2026 World Cup, its first since 1974.
It was a shared dream come true, even if only a few hundred Haitians were in the stadium to share it in person. Not for a lack of national or sporting passion but a lack of access. Although nominally a “home” game for Haiti, Deedson’s World Cup-clinching goal was scored in Stadion Ergilio Hato, located in Curaçao’s capital – 500 miles south of Haiti’s home ground in Port-au-Prince.
Massive political unrest charged with gang violence forced Haiti’s team out of its national stadium and into foreign venues for the entirety of the 2026 qualifying cycle. An added hardship in any region, but especially in Concacaf where variations in climate and field conditions plus passionate crowds make home field advantage truly advantageous. Haiti benefited from none that. Their advantage was an internal motivation few athletes can understand.
“Going through qualification, the team was hoping to qualify so we can make the country a better place,” Deedson explained. “That was the motivation for us to qualify and do our best for our country. We still hope that, during the World Cup, people will see Haiti with a different face. When we talk about Haiti, (we hope) people don't only talk about the violence and what's going on right now, but they can see a country where people love soccer, they love each other, and we hope for the best.”
Now, Deedson and Haiti turn their attention to the tournament itself. Drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Morocco and Scotland, Les Grenadiers must harness their unique motivation once more to advance as heavy underdogs.
Much rides on their opening game against Scotland. A loss to the Scots would leave Haiti needing to upset Brazil or Morocco, the sixth and seventh-ranked teams in the world respectively, to stand any chance of seeing the knockout rounds. A win, though, would put Haiti in decent standing to qualify as a third-place team, goal-difference from its final two games notwithstanding.
Understanding Haiti’s journey to this World Cup alone, coupled with historical precedence, affects the equation of what success looks like. Deedson explains: “I think we have to beat the record. Haiti has never won a game in the World Cup at any stage. (The team lost all three games in 1974). So we’re looking at the first game. We're going to win the first game, that's what we have in our minds, to win the first game. After that we take the next game step by step. So that's our goal.”
Their chance to make Haitian history comes on the third day of the tournament when Haiti and Scotland face off in Foxborough on Saturday, June 13. What might that day, that moment, feel like?
“It's a moment I've been waiting for some time,” Deedson said. “I think about it, how I’ll feel before the game, stepping on that pitch, seeing all my family there and my friends. I dream of it, and I can't wait for it to happen. It will be a moment I’ll never forget."
And for Haiti?
“For the country, this is everything. The only good thing we have right now, in Haiti, is soccer. So, for us to represent Haiti on the biggest stage means everything for them, and for the players. We know what we have to do. We have to make them proud. We have to give our hearts and play united on the field.”
