Former Harambee Stars Coach on Accomplished Mission and Lessons Learnt After Historic World Cup Campaign

Haiti's head coach, Sebastien Migne, expressed his profound disappointment after his team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup following a decisive loss to Brazil.

The defeat marked Haiti's second consecutive loss in Group C, confirming their exit from the tournament ahead of their final match against Morocco.

Despite competing in their first World Cup in 52 years, Haiti will finish at the bottom of their group. The French coach, however, urged his team to learn from the experience against a world-class opponent.

"Tonight, the disappointment is huge, even if it is Brazil," Migné stated. "You have to recognise the quality of the opponent and learn from situations like this to come back stronger."

Brazil, the five-time world champions, secured their victory with two goals from Matheus Cunha and one from Vinícius Júnior. While Haiti showed moments of spirited attacking play, they were ultimately outmatched by the South American giants.

"We were outplayed, but not completely," Migne reflected. "I want to congratulate the boys. They showed they deserved their place at this World Cup. Unfortunately, today we were facing Brazil, and there was a difference in level."

Looking ahead, Migné is already focused on their final group stage fixture against Morocco, a semi-finalist in the previous World Cup.

"Coming back stronger will be in five days, against another big team," he added. "We will have to rise to the occasion and make our fans proud."

Despite the early elimination, the former Harambee Stars boss believes he has accomplished the primary goal set by the Haitian federation: returning the nation to the world's biggest football stage.

"We cannot downplay this when it comes to Haiti. Today we were on the biggest stage in the world, against one of the best teams in the world," he said. "I think we were brave opponents. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. We were missing a little something."

Migne concluded by expressing hope that the tournament experience would be a catalyst for growth for his young squad, with an eye on qualifying for the next World Cup.

"I have a young group in terms of international experience. I hope this tournament helps them to progress—and in time, progress as a team and, above all, to try to qualify for the next World Cup."