With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just days away, Haiti’s national men’s football team, nicknamed the Grenadiers, suffered a heart-wrenching 2-1 defeat to Peru in their final pre-tournament friendly on Friday, June 5, hosted at DRV PNK Stadium in Miami, Florida. The result marked a disappointing end to Haiti’s warm-up campaign, just one week after the side delivered a dominant 4-0 rout of New Zealand in their first preparation match.
Ranked 82nd in the FIFA global rankings, Haiti entered the match as the underdog against 51st-ranked Peru, but head coach Sébastien Migné, a French tactician, shuffled his lineup to test depth ahead of the tournament. Making four changes to the starting XI that defeated New Zealand, Migné gave starts to Hannes Delcroix, Jeanricner Bellegarde, Louicius Deedson and Frantzdy Pierrot, rounding out a starting roster that featured players plying their trade across top leagues in Europe, North America and South America. Johnny Placide started in goal, with Carlens Arcus, Martin Expérience, Ricardo Adé and Delcroix forming the defensive line. Jean-Jacques Danley and Bellegarde anchored the midfield, while Deedson, Ruben Providence, Wilson Isidor and Pierrot made up Haiti’s attacking unit.
The match unfolded as a stunning display of resilience from Haiti through 75 minutes, with the underdog side taking an early lead. In the 16th minute, Deedson set up Isidor for a clinical finish that put Haiti up 1-0, a lead the Grenadiers protected for more than an hour of play. As the second half wore on, both teams rotated their squads heavily to test depth: Haiti made eight substitutions between the 59th and 85th minutes, swapping out every starting outfield player to give reserve players critical pre-tournament minutes.
But in a dramatic late turnaround, Peru struck twice in just three minutes to steal the win. Renzo Garcés netted the equalizer for Peru in the 81st minute, leveling the score at 1-1, before Jairo Vélez put Peru ahead just three minutes later. No further goals followed, locking in a 2-1 victory for the South American side. The match also saw six yellow cards issued, with four going to Peru players (Alfonso Barco, André Carrillo, Erick Noriega, Adrián Ugarriza) and one to Haiti substitute Wilguens Paugain.
Haiti is set to make its World Cup appearance in Group C, with all three of its group stage matches hosted on U.S. soil. The Grenadiers will kick off their tournament campaign against Scotland on June 13 at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, before facing five-time world champions Brazil at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on June 19. The side will wrap up group play against Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists and current top-ranked African nation, at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 24. The tough group pits Haiti against three of international football’s most consistent sides, testing the underdog Grenadiers as they make their run in the 2026 tournament.