Haiti open World Cup against Scotland as 52-year wait ends

It's here: Haiti vs Scotland, tonight in Boston

Haiti plays its first World Cup match since 1974 this Saturday, facing Scotland in the Group C opener at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts (2) (5) (8). Over 50,000 Scotland fans have flooded Boston, turning the city into what locals are calling "mini-Scotland", kilts, bagpipes, the works (5) (7).

Haiti walks into a hostile environment as a massive underdog, but also as a mystery. No recent form, no tactical leaks, no squad drama has surfaced in the buildup. Scotland expects to start strong; Haiti has nothing to lose (2).

Your goalkeeper's story is the tournament's strangest

Josué Duverger, Haiti's World Cup goalkeeper, plays his club football for FC Cosmos Koblenz, a fifth-division German side (1). FIFA rules mean every club that supplies a World Cup player gets compensation, and Cosmos Koblenz are about to receive a windfall from the governing body simply because Duverger made the squad (1). It's the kind of story only a World Cup can produce, and Haiti are living it.

Paugain: adopted, worked as pizza delivery driver, now at a World Cup

Defender Wilguens Paugain was adopted from a Haitian orphanage, later worked as a pizza delivery driver in France, and faced racism on his way up through the French football system (3). He told FootMercato last year: "It was a second chance. If I had stayed in Haiti, if I had never been adopted, my path would have been completely different. I know the conditions people live in there, it's extreme poverty, pure and simple" (3). He's now a World Cup starter.

The journey that began with 88 fans

Haiti's road to this World Cup started in near-silence, just 88 supporters watched their qualifier against St Lucia (4). From those humble beginnings, the team fought through qualifying to reach their first World Cup in 52 years (4). The contrast between that empty stadium and the scene in Boston today could not be starker.

Delcroix wants to give Haiti hope

Former RKC Waalwijk defender Hannès Delcroix has spoken about what this tournament means beyond football. He wants Haiti's World Cup campaign to give people back home something to believe in, hope, in a country that has endured so much (6).

Fan reactions

Haiti's World Cup return has sparked genuine curiosity across the broader football world, a detailed Reddit preview titled "Exile, eSIMs, and the Spirit of Vertières" captures the depth of the Haitian diaspora story and the historical weight the team carries into this tournament link. Meanwhile, the spectacle in Boston has already produced its own absurd subplot: comedian Craig Ferguson walked across America from Los Angeles to Boston for charity, arriving just in time for kickoff, with the Tartan Army greeting him at the finish line link.