Haiti go into the World Cup with a squad built through remote scouting, diaspora links and a fair amount of uncertainty. Odsonne Édouard is still only a possibility, not a promise, and Jerome Salbert has made it clear that France remains in the picture for the former Celtic striker. Haiti have also reached the men's World Cup finals for the first time since 1974, despite being unable to play any of their qualifiers at home.
Why Haiti are leaning on diaspora talent
Salbert says the recruitment work is being done from a distance. "I cannot travel in Haiti, so I use a scout who is in the Caribbean," he told bbc.co.uk. That is the reality behind this squad, with Haiti relying on players who qualify through family links and then persuading them to commit.
"Take the case of Wilson Isidor - he has Haitian roots. We must convince them to play with the heart," Salbert said. That approach is also why Jean-Ricner Bellegarde matters in this group, and why Haiti are trying to turn scattered individual options into something coherent enough to trouble Scotland.
Salbert does not pretend the Edouard chase is straightforward. "His father is Haitian but he was raised in France. It is difficult for him to decide if he accepts, as he would prefer to play for France." That is the position Haiti are working from, with the player still available in theory, but not yet in practice.
Why Scotland should not treat this as a walkover
Haiti are not being sold as contenders for the trophy, and Salbert says as much. "No one expects anything from Haiti at the World Cup but I think Scotland, we can give them a surprise." That is a fair read of their place in the draw, but it is also why the recruitment gambles matter. A squad assembled under these conditions is unlikely to look polished, yet it can still be awkward.
There is enough top-flight experience in the pool to avoid dismissing them outright. Wilson Isidor made 30 Premier League appearances in 2025 and scored 5 goals, while Bellegarde produced a 6.78 Premier League rating across 25 appearances. Those are not superstar numbers, but they are real minutes at a level Haiti can build around.
The Edouard angle remains the most eye-catching part of it all. His record at Celtic, 57 goals in 94 league matches between 2018 and 2021, is the sort of output that makes him the obvious name in the conversation. Whether Haiti can get him to choose them is another matter, and Salbert has not dressed that up. For now, the bet is on the players who are already in the process, and on a group that has already qualified in difficult conditions for a first finals since 1974.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
