Haiti

Haiti's return to the World Cup after a 52-year absence is one of the most remarkable qualifying stories in tournament history. The tiny Caribbean nation, still grappling with profound political and economic crises at home, produced a football team capable of navigating the Concacaf qualifying gauntlet and earning a place on the world stage. For context, Haiti's only previous World Cup appearance was in 1974 in West Germany, where they lost all three matches but scored against Italy — a goal still celebrated in Port-au-Prince. The squad is a patchwork of players from lower European leagues, the American MLS, and the Caribbean domestic circuit. Johny Placide provides experience and shot-stopping ability in goal, Duckens Nazon is a proven goal-scorer at the international level despite his nomadic club career, and Carlens Arcus offers defensive solidity and overlapping runs from right-back. The talent gap between Haiti and their Group C opponents (Brazil, Morocco) is enormous, but this is a team that has already defied expectations just by qualifying. For bracket purposes, Haiti is the longest of long shots. They are in the tournament's most difficult group and would need a miracle to advance. The realistic goal is competitive performances and perhaps a goal or two to celebrate. Their ELO rating of 1532 is the lowest in the group by some distance, and they should be projected for an early exit in any credible bracket.