Haiti manager Sébastien Migné has admitted his team are in for a “huge challenge” when they face five-time world champions Brazil on Friday, but insists the underdogs have everything to gain in their FIFA World Cup Group C encounter.
Haiti, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, began their campaign with a narrow 1–0 defeat to Scotland.
John McGinn’s first-half strike proved the difference, although Haiti came close to salvaging a point late on when Frantzdy Pierrot headed just wide in the 85th minute.
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Now they turn their attention to Brazil, a team steeped in history and title success, in a fixture that would send shockwaves across Haiti if an upset were to occur.
Speaking through a translator at a press conference on Thursday, Migné stressed the need for greater intensity against the South Americans.
“We will need to work harder than we did against Scotland,” he said.
“Against Brazil, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“It has been 52 years since Haiti last appeared at a World Cup, and now we are facing one of the greatest teams in the world.”
He added that the experience itself was a proud moment for the nation.
“It is a privilege to be here, and we hope to make Haitian supporters proud.”
Despite the opening loss, Migné insisted Haiti’s belief remains intact, arguing that their performance against Scotland showed they belong on football’s biggest stage.
“We may not have beaten Scotland, but we proved we deserve to be here,” he said.
“Our goal has not changed.
“We want to compete, show our quality, and hopefully give ourselves a chance of progressing, even as a third-placed team.”
Looking ahead to the Brazil clash, he admitted the scale of the occasion back home would be enormous.
“If we win this match, it would be absolute madness in Haiti,” he said.
“Being Haitian means facing difficult times, but football gives us dreams—and this is exactly the kind of dream: playing Brazil at a World Cup.”
