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

Morocco and Haiti conclude their Group C campaign at the 2026 World Cup when they square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday.

While the Atlas Lions are on the cusp of reaching the knockout rounds, their Caribbean counterparts have already suffered elimination at the first hurdle of this summer’s tournament.

Match preview

Morocco are in a strong position to progress from a World Cup group in back-to-back tournaments for the first time after accumulating four points from their opening two Group C matches against Brazil and Scotland.

The Atlas Lions were good value for the point they collected in a 1-1 draw with Brazil on matchday one. Ismael Saibari followed up his sweet strike against the Selecao by netting a clinical opener after just 70 seconds against Scotland – a flash of brilliance that proved decisive in a 1-0 victory last weekend.

Mohamed Ouahbi’s side, listed as one of the dark horses on our World Cup betting guide, completed 601 passes in their dominant yet slender win over Scotland, the most by any African nation in a World Cup game on record since 1966.

Ranked sixth in the world by FIFA above the likes of Portugal, Netherlands and Germany, Morocco must beat Haiti on Wednesday to guarantee a top-two finish in Group C and automatic last-32 qualification, while a draw or even a defeat could still be enough if Scotland lose to Brazil.

Surprise semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco should be optimistic of success against Haiti, as they have not lost any of their last six group-stage games at the World Cup (W3 D3) and have put together a remarkable 31-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W26 D5).

Haiti are currently the lowest-ranked nation at this summer’s World Cup (87th) and they are still searching for their first ever point on the global stage after following up their three group-stage losses back in 1974 with successive Group C defeats to Scotland and Brazil.

The Caribbean nation held their own but ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat against Scotland on matchday one, before conceding three first-half goals in a 3-0 loss to five-time world champions Brazil last weekend, leaving them rock bottom of Group C.

That defeat confirmed Sebastien Migne’s side as the very first team to be mathematically eliminated from the 2026 tournament, meaning Wednesday's showdown with Morocco will solely be about playing for pride.

Should Haiti suffer defeat to Morocco, they would match El Salvador’s unwanted record of six World Cup games played with a 100% defeat rate. Furthermore, Les Grenadiers are at risk of becoming only the third CONCACAF nation to finish a World Cup group stage devoid of both points and goals, joining the infamous company of El Salvador (1970) and Canada (1986).

Haiti have never played against Morocco before, with their last encounter against an African nation taking place in March when they were beaten 1-0 by Tunisia in a friendly fixture.

Morocco World Cup form:

Morocco form (all competitions):

Haiti World Cup form:

Haiti form (all competitions):

Team News

Morocco have no fresh injuries to report and head coach Ouahbi may consider naming an unchanged starting lineup for the third consecutive match, with both Saibari and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz expected to continue in attack.

Rising star Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has been a standout performer for the Atlas Lions this summer, is poised to continue in centre-midfield alongside Neil El Aynaoui and Azzedine Ounahi, while Sofyan Amrabat may be forced to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench once again.

Captain Achraf Hakimi - a Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain last month - is set to earn his 99th international cap and join Chadi Riad, Issa Diop and Noussair Mazraoui in a four-man defence, protecting goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

As for Haiti, all-time leading goalscorer Duckens Nazon (44 goals) is still doubtful with an unspecified issue, but Migne is not dealing with any other injury concerns.

After deploying a 5-4-1 formation in the defeat to Brazil, Migne could revert to a familiar 4-4-2 system on Wednesday, with Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor potentially joining Frantzdy Pierrot up front, as Ruben Providence and either Josue Casimir or Louicius Deedson operate out wide.

Jean-Kevin Duverne could be sacrificed if there is a formation change, with Carlens Arcus, Ricardo Ade, Hannes Delcroix and Martin Experience all in contention to line up in a four-man defence in front of 38-year-old goalkeeper and captain Johny Placide.

Morocco possible starting lineup:

Bono; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Saibari

Haiti possible starting lineup:

Placide; Arcus, Delcroix, Ade, Experience; Deedson, Bellegarde, Jean Jacques, Providence; Isidor, Pierrot

We say: Morocco 3-0 Haiti

While a pride-driven Haiti side will be desperate to sign off from their World Cup adventure with a spirited performance, their glaring lack of a cutting edge up front is likely to leave them exposed against top-tier opposition once again.

Facing a technically superior Atlas Lions outfit hitting their stride at both ends of the pitch, the Caribbean underdogs could be comfortably dismantled by Mohamed Ouahbi's men, who should have few problems securing their place in the last 32.

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