The second hurdle on the road to a sixth title

A week after the start of the 2026 World Cup, Brazil remains determined to reclaim the leading role that defined historic generations of the national team and extend its lead as the tournament’s most successful side, with five titles.

To do so, the Seleção will first and foremost need to get through the group stage – something it has only failed to do on two occasions in history: 1930 and 1966.

Standing in the way of the ‘Amarelinha’ in this first stage are three opponents:

  • 13 June – Morocco (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey)

  • 19 June – Haiti (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

  • 24 June – Scotland (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)

Only time will tell just how big a challenge awaits Brazil in this group stage, but we can already take a look back at the national team’s record against each of its opponents.

Brazil and Haiti have faced each other three times in the past.

The first encounter: Brasília, 1974

The first meeting took place just over 50 years ago, on 21 April 1974. Played at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília – which at the time was still called the Hélio de Silveira Prates Stadium – the friendly served as preparation for the World Cup in West Germany, which was due to begin around two months later.

The two teams were heading into the tournament in completely contrasting situations. Brazil were the reigning three-time world champions, buoyed by the legacy of the historic 1970 team – often cited as one of the greatest in football history – featuring players such as Jairzinho, Rivellino, Carlos Alberto Torres and, of course, Pelé.

Haiti, for its part, was experiencing an equally memorable moment, albeit for very different reasons. The national team was preparing to compete in its first ever World Cup, having won the CONCACAF Championship the previous year and secured an unprecedented qualification for the tournament.

The difference in experience and quality between the teams was clear from the opening minutes and remained evident right until the final whistle. Brazil won comfortably 4–0.

Paulo César opened the scoring in the 22nd minute of the first half. Shortly afterwards, Leivinha produced one of the finest moments of the match, providing a backheel assist for Rivellino to score the second.

From then on, the unexpected star of the show was defender Marinho Chagas. Just five minutes after Rivellino’s goal, he took a shot from distance and fired a low strike that caught the Haitian goalkeeper off guard. Then, in the 14th minute of the second half, he was involved again, providing the assist for Edu to round off the rout.

The ‘Match for Peace’: Port-au-Prince, 2004

The two teams would not meet again until 30 years later, in one of the most curious and memorable stories in modern football.

It was 18 August 2004.

At that time, Haiti was going through a period of intense political and social instability. In an attempt to restore order in the country, the UN Security Council established MINUSTAH, a stabilisation mission that would be led by Brazil during President Lula’s administration.

It was against this backdrop that an unusual idea emerged. Haiti’s then Prime Minister, Gérard Latortue, suggested that Brazil would be of greater use if it sent its national football team to the country, rather than its soldiers. Keen to bring the Haitian people closer to Brazilian culture whilst the country led the peace-building efforts, Lula took the suggestion very seriously, and what seemed like an off-the-cuff idea soon became a concrete plan.

With the support of FIFA and the CBF, the so-called ‘Match for Peace’ was organised.

Played shortly before the start of the MINUSTAH mission, the match aimed to strengthen ties between the two countries. The venue was the Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince.

For security reasons, the Brazilian delegation arrived in Haiti just two hours before kick-off, with the players being transported from the airport to the stadium in armoured vehicles. Even so, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital in the hope of catching a glimpse of their idols up close. Many climbed trees, rooftops and cars in search of a better vantage point to watch the national team pass by.

After all, in 2004, Brazil were the reigning world champions – a team brimming with legends such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano and Roberto Carlos. Haiti, meanwhile, was ranked only 95th in the FIFA rankings and had not competed in a World Cup since its historic debut in 1974.

It was obvious that the match would be completely one-sided – so much so that Prime Minister Latortue himself went so far as to offer a thousand dollars to any Haitian player who managed to score against Brazil, as well as promising a hundred dollars out of his own pocket to every member of the team should they emerge victorious.

None of these rewards ever had to be paid out.

As expected, the match ended in a rout.

Brazil won 6–0. Nilmar scored once, Roger Flores netted twice and Ronaldinho shone with a hat-trick. Less than a year later, he would be voted the world’s best player, receiving the 2005 ‘Ballon d’Or’.

But the score turned out to be merely a detail. What really made that night memorable was the atmosphere in the stands.

Lula, who was present at the stadium, witnessed a rare sight: the Haitian fans were celebrating the Brazilian goals as if they had been scored by their own team. Their admiration for the stars of the ‘Amarelinha’ was evident.

The Haitian players themselves held their opponents in high esteem. In the 2005 documentary about the match, Haitian midfielder Peter Germain explained: “As everyone here says, [the Brazilian players] are gods on earth, they’re aliens.” (The Day Brazil Was Here)

The experience also left a deep impression on the Brazilians. Manager Carlos Alberto Parreira went so far as to say: “In the future, when people ask me what my greatest moment in football was, I’ll say it was this one. It was incredible.” (UOL)

The event was deemed a huge success, and in recognition of the organisation and staging of the match, the CBF received the FIFA Fair Play Award.

The impact of the match continued to be felt in the months that followed. On 25 July, for example, Haitian fans took to the streets to celebrate Brazil’s victory over Argentina in the Copa América final.

Once again, football demonstrated its ability to bring people together and forge unlikely connections. On that night in Port-au-Prince, a bond was forged between Brazil and Haiti that remains alive to this day.

A thrashing at the Centenario: Orlando, 2016

The third and most recent meeting between Brazil and Haiti took place in the group stage of the Copa América Centenario in 2016.

Ten years before the match the two teams are set to play at the World Cup, they had already faced each other on American soil. The venue was the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

The result was an indisputable demonstration of Brazil’s superiority: 7–1.

Renato Augusto, Gabigol and Lucas Lima all got on the scoresheet, but the star of the show was Philippe Coutinho. The then Liverpool midfielder scored his first hat-trick for the national team and was named man of the match.

His first and third goals – which were also the first and last of the match – were particularly striking. In both instances, Coutinho fired powerful shots from outside the box, leaving the Haitian goalkeeper with no chance. Previously seen mainly as a backup option in the squad, capable of replacing Douglas Costa when necessary, the midfielder gained confidence and a more prominent role following that performance.

Despite Brazil’s barrage of goals, Haiti managed to score their own when James Marcelin, of North Carolina FC, pounced on a rebound from goalkeeper Alisson to put the ball in the net. The Haitian supporters, who made up the majority of the crowd in Orlando, erupted in celebration.

The goal held special significance: it was the first – and remains the only one – scored by Haiti against Brazil. As Marcelin himself summed up after the match: “We knew they were better than us. I’m just happy we scored a goal.” (The Guardian)

In the end, the result did not alter the course of the tournament for either side. Both Haiti and Brazil were eventually knocked out in the group stage, finishing behind Peru and Ecuador in the standings.

The next chapter: Philadelphia, 2026

The two teams head into the 2026 World Cup in very different circumstances.

Brazil, who have featured in every World Cup, currently sit fifth in the FIFA rankings. Haiti, who will be competing in only their second World Cup, are ranked 85th.

In terms of the BallBallon d'Or award, Brazil’s advantage is also clear. The Seleção squad includes seven players who have previously been nominated for the award: Alisson, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Fabinho, Neymar, Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior.

Haiti has no nominees, but it does have standout players in major leagues, such as midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde of Wolverhampton Wanderers and striker Wilson Isidor of Sunderland.

Even so, there are factors that could work in the Caribbean side’s favour.

Whilst Brazil enters every World Cup bearing the pressure of winning that long-awaited sixth title – a wait that has now lasted more than two decades – Haiti arrives without that burden. With no major external expectations, the team can play with greater freedom, confidence and a willingness to spring a surprise.

Furthermore, although Brazil appointed Carlo Ancelotti as manager just over a year ago, the Frenchman Sébastien Migné has been in charge of Haiti since 2024, which has given him more time to implement his style of play and tactical approach.

Before taking charge of the Caribbean side, Migné worked as an assistant to Rigobert Song with the Cameroon national team during the 2022 World Cup. And as many fans will recall, it was that very Cameroon side that beat Brazil 1–0 in the group stage – the Seleção’s first defeat to an African team at a World Cup.

Four years on, Migné will be looking to repeat that feat, this time for Haiti. He himself acknowledges the scale of the challenge: “It certainly won’t be easy.” (CazéTV)

Brazil go into the match on the back of a mixed run of form: in their last 10 matches, they have recorded five wins, three defeats and two draws. Haiti have similar statistics, with four wins, four defeats and two draws.

Defensively, the teams are almost evenly matched (12 goals conceded by Brazil and 11 by Haiti), but the attack makes the difference: 23 goals scored by the Seleção against 15 by the Haitians.

The historical record of the fixture also makes it clear who go into the match with the upper hand. Brazil have won all three matches played against Haiti, scoring 17 goals and conceding just one.

But what will that record look like after the match in Pennsylvania?

Will Brazil further extend its historical dominance over Haiti, or will the small island nation manage to close the gap on the ‘Amarelinha’?

Only time will tell.