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

Group C action in World Cup 2026 CONCACF qualifying resumes on Thursday with Nicaragua hosting Haiti at the Nicaragua National Football Stadium in Managua.

A 2-0 defeat against Honduras on matchday two dropped the Nicaraguans to the bottom of the table with one point, which is one fewer than Haiti, who collected a 3-3 draw with Costa Rica the last time out.

Match preview

Two matches into the third round of qualifying, and Nicaragua are dispelling any notions that they may be an easy out for the stronger teams in this group.

After two matchdays, they are in the running for a place in next summer’s World Cup, with only three points currently separating them from Honduras in first, and Costa Rica just a point ahead of them for a spot in the next phase.

Since their 4-1 win at home to Montserrat in their opening second-round qualifier, this team have yet to concede a single goal in the opening 45 minutes of play.

Marco Antonio Figueroa's men have yet to lose a home contest in the 2026 qualification cycle, outscoring their three opponents by a combined margin of 6-2.

They enter this encounter with just one win from their previous seven matches played across all competitions, losing two of their last three World Cup qualifiers.

The only victory for La Azul y Blanco versus the Haitians came at Nicaragua’s National Football Stadium in a March 2017 Gold Cup qualifying affair (3-0).

Haiti were dealt an early blow on matchday two, but to their credit fought back ferociously and in the end were unfortunate not to come away with maximum points.

Sebastien Migne’s side netted three times in the second half versus the Costa Ricans, only to allow the equaliser in stoppage time, dropping what could prove to be two valuable points.

Heading into this encounter, they are on a six-match winless run across all competitions but have earned a positive result in three of those previous four games.

At this stage of the 2026 qualification cycle, they have a 100% record when netting in the opening 45 minutes, having achieved this in only two matches thus far.

Playing on the road seems to bring out the best in their attacking game, with the Caribbean side netting a combined 11 goals in their previous three qualification affairs.

Les Grenadiers have won their last three meetings against Nicaragua, conceding no goals in any of those outings, including a 3-0 win in Managua in 2018.

Nicaragua World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Nicaragua form (all competitions):

Haiti World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Haiti form (all competitions):

Team News

Figueroa will be pleased to have a couple of experienced players back in the fold for this international window, as Juan Luis Perez and Matias Belli Moldskred were called up after missing their opening two matches in qualifying through injury.

There were two new faces in their starting 11 from matchday one to two, with Marlon Lopez replacing the suspended Jason Coronel and Jaime Moreno coming in for Junior Arteaga.

On the Haitian side, there were five new faces in their starting 11 against Costa Rica, including Josue Duverger, Garven-Michee Metusala, Carl Sainte, Ruben Providence and Yassin Fortune.

Record goalscorer Duckens Nazon added three more goals to his tally all-time for the national team the last time out, putting him at 43, while he is just two appearances away from equaling Johny Placide for fourth in all-time caps.

Nicaragua possible starting lineup:

Rodriguez; Quijano, Perez, Nino, Acevedo; Barrera, Lopez, Montes, Belli; Moreno, Arauz

Haiti possible starting lineup:

Placide; Arcus, Ade, Metusala, Experience; Jacques, Sainte; Providence, Bellegarde, Etienne; Nazon

We say: Nicaragua 0-1 Haiti

The Nicaraguans are a capable defensive squad, especially at home, but lack the experience at this level to trouble a side as cohesive and experienced as Haiti.

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