FIFA World Cup 2026: How the draw performed out, from the matchups to the politics

[ad_1] #TheMoment Haiti certified for first World Cup in over 50 years

Paul Toussaint, a Haitian chef in Montreal, tells The Nationwide concerning the second he watched his dwelling nation make it to the World Cup for the primary time since 1974.

A mixture of the newly expanded format and the host international locations implies that World Cup 2026 might be an underdog's dream.

Simply final month, the tiny island nation of Curaçao, with a inhabitants of about 156,000, turned the smallest nation ever to qualify for this marquee occasion. The previous Dutch colony takes that document from Iceland, which had a inhabitants of simply over 350,000 when it certified in 2018.

Curaçao certified after a 0-0 draw in opposition to Jamaica, utilizing a workforce closely constructed with gamers born and raised within the Netherlands. It has actively recruited from its diaspora after getting permission from FIFA inside world soccer's guidelines to alter the national-team eligibility of 5 gamers since August.

Cape Verde, with a inhabitants of roughly 525,000, additionally certified for the primary time this 12 months — the second-least populous nation to take action. The previous Portuguese colony additionally turned to its diaspora for recruitment.

Haiti is one other notable underdog, qualifying for the primary time since 1974 regardless of important home turmoil and the dearth of a usable dwelling stadium.

Coach Sébastien Migné has managed a few of his gamers from overseas, as Haiti's important airport has commonly been shut down in a rustic the place armed gangs management as much as 90 per cent of its capital, Port-au-Prince. The workforce additionally performed all its dwelling video games in Curaçao, because it was too harmful to take action in Haiti.