Haiti advances to Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals despite loss to Costa Rica

Haiti qualified for the 2026-2027 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals Sunday despite a 2-0 loss to Los Ticos Costa Rica, at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá in San José, Costa Rica, finishing second in Group A with nine points and advancing to the knockout stage. 

Les Grenadiers’ qualification was confirmed after their neighboring rivals, the Dominican Republic, defeated Nicaragua later Sunday but finished behind Haiti on goal difference. Curaçao won the group with 10 points while Haiti and the Dominican Republic both finished with nine. As a result, Haiti’s plus-four goal difference gave it the edge to second place in the regional tournament. 

The result capped a four-match group campaign in which Haiti scored nine goals and conceded five under new coach David Badía. The team opened with three consecutive victories — a 3-2 comeback against Trinidad and Tobago, a 2-0 win over Costa Rica and a 4-1 rout of the Dominican Republic — before falling to Costa Rica in the group finale.

Qualifying for the quarterfinal gives Haiti a strong start to a new cycle following the World Cup. The Nations League campaign has given the team an immediate opportunity to reset under Badía, who took charge in September. 

Costa Rica strikes early to end Haiti’s winning streak

Costa Rica, looking to avoid relegation to League B, took control early in front of their fans.

Carlos Mora opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading in from a corner. Andrey Soto doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a left-footed finish, giving Costa Rica a 2-0 advantage before halftime.

Haiti, which started the match with four changes to the starting 11 that beat the Dominican Republic on Oct. 1, struggled to respond to Costa Rica’s punches. The team finished with six shots and none on target, while Costa Rica registered 13 shots and three on target.

The defeat ended Haiti’s three-game winning streak under Badía and its run without a loss against Costa Rica in six matches since 2019.

Costa Rica’s victory also avenged Haiti’s 2-0 win over Los Ticos on Sept. 27 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Haiti had to host that match outside the country because of a FIFA ban on its only standard stadium, Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince, due to the ongoing security situation.

“This is how Haiti always does it: We will get back up again after this defeat. We will come back stronger, tougher, for Haiti,” the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) posted after the game on its Facebook page. 

Quarterfinals offer a direct path to 2027 Gold Cup

Haiti’s next Nations League matches will be in the quarterfinals over two legs in November against the United States — one of the four pre-seeded teams, along with Mexico, Canada and Panama. The quarterfinal pairings are determined by the final group-stage rankings and Concacaf’s prescribed seeding formula.

This next round carries an additional stake beyond advancement in the Nations League finals to be played at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. The four quarterfinal winners will qualify directly for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup, while the four losing teams will advance to the Gold Cup Prelims.

For Haiti, that makes the November series the next major test of a team beginning a new cycle after its long-awaited return to the World Cup.

Les Grenadiers leave the September-October FIFA window with three victories, one defeat, and a quarterfinal ticket in their pocket—a foundation they will now try to build on as the post-World Cup era takes shape.