Haití stuns Morocco with first World Cup goal since 1974

Lenny Joseph backheeled Haiti into the lead in the 10th minute, finishing a low cross from Jean-Kévin Duverne and giving Haiti its first goal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The strike came in Group C against Morocco on June 24 at Atlanta Stadium, a moment that carried the weight of Haiti’s long absence from the tournament.

Haiti had returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 after clinching qualification on November 19, 2025, when it finished first in its Concacaf qualifying group. The opener against Morocco followed a 1-0 loss to Scotland on June 13, leaving Haiti in need of a response against a side that had already held Brazil to a 1-1 draw on the same date.

The goal also underscored the role of Haiti’s diaspora in this squad. Joseph, 25, was born in Paris on October 12, 2000, to Haitian parents, and Duverne, born in Paris on July 12, 1997, has become a regular at fullback and center back for Haiti. Both were listed in Haiti’s World Cup squad, along with manager Sébastien Migné and veteran forward Duckens Nazon.

For Morocco, the concession landed against a team arriving with recent credentials of its own. The Moroccans won the FIFA Arab Cup in 2025 and added the world under-20 title that same year, a reminder that Haiti’s breakthrough was not just an emotional marker but a result against one of the most accomplished rising programs in the international game.

Haiti’s finish against Morocco turned a qualifying breakthrough into a World Cup statement. After a 52-year wait to return to the tournament, the first goal back arrived from a Paris-born forward, delivered off a cross from another Paris-born defender, and pushed Haiti onto the scoresheet on football’s biggest stage.