Preview:Haiti vs Honduras - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking their first victory since June, Haiti begin the final stage of World Cup 2026 qualifying by facing Honduras on Friday at Ergilio Hato Stadium in Curacao.

Nine points in round two was enough to see the Haitians advance into the final qualification round in second place, while La H topped Group A with three more points.

Match preview

While they ended the second round on a sour note, losing 5-1 to Curacao, Haiti fully deserved their place in this phase, winning their other three games by a combined margin of 10-2.

Friday will be the first time this nation play in the final stage of World Cup qualifying after losing out in the second round of qualification for Qatar to Canada, 4-0 on aggregate.

Sebastien Migne’s men enter this upcoming fixture on a four-match winless run across all competitions, suffering three defeats over that stretch.

Lately, finding the back of the net has proven to be quite challenging for them, scoring a goal or fewer in each of their previous four contests.

Haiti have not dropped a single point when netting multiple goals in one game since claiming a 3-3 result with Japan in an October 2017 friendly.

Les Grenadiers, meanwhile, have not beaten a Central American opponent since June 2021, blanking Nicaragua 1-0 in an opening round World Cup qualifier on that occasion.

Reinaldo Rueda guided Honduras to their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, and he is six matches away from taking them back to the finals for the first time since 2014.

In the second phase, La H eased past their opponents, winning all four of their games in convincing fashion by a combined margin of 12-2.

Honduras are coming off an unexpected semi-final appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup this past summer, exiting the tournament following a narrow 1-0 defeat to the eventual champions, Mexico.

Three of their last four competitive fixtures have ended in a triumph for the Central Americans, who have conceded a goal or fewer in each of those instances.

On Friday, the Hondurans will look to claim their first victory in the final phase of World Cup qualifying since October 2017 (3-2 over Mexico).

Four of their previous five meetings with Haiti ended with a win for Los Catrachos, with the last one coming in the group phase of the 2023 Gold Cup (2-1).

Haiti World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Haiti form (all competitions):

Honduras World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Honduras form (all competitions):

Team News

By next week, Johny Placide could move into a tie with Frantz Giles for third in all-time appearances, with the Bastia goalkeeper two away from reaching 78, while Yassin Fortune, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Jerry Desdunes and Keeto Thermoncy will all be seeking their first senior caps.

Louicius Don Deedson and Duckens Nazon led the team with two goals each in round two of qualifying, with the latter now at 40 goals, the most of any Haitian player for the national team.

On the Honduran side, Alenis Vargas and Luis Ortiz are the only uncapped players selected for this window, while Andy Najar can reach 60 caps should he play on Friday.

Edwin Rodriguez led them with two goals in second round qualifying, while Romell Quioto will surpass David Suazo for seventh all-time goals with his next one.

Haiti possible starting lineup:

Placide; Arcus, Ade, Metusala, Experience; Bellegarde, Pierre, Jacques, Picault; Pierrot, Nazon

Honduras possible starting lineup:

Menjivar; Najar, Santamaria, Martinez, Rosales; Ruiz, Alvarez, D. Flores, Quioto; Vega, Lozano

We say: Haiti 0-1 Honduras

The atmosphere in the Caribbean might give the Haitians a lift, but in the end, we trust the experience of Honduras, who have shown to be a resourceful squad that can win in various ways.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.