It is entirely conceivable that this time next month, the greatest story of this Women’s World Cup will still be that Haiti were even there in the first place.
On Saturday, the tiny Caribbean island nation kick off against England. They go in as total underdogs, but defying the odds has become their speciality.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, dogged by natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods and also by gang violence and political instability that has followed the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
The UN reported in October that 40 per cent of Haitians were facing “acute hunger”, and the country is still recovering from a hurricane in 2010 that killed more than 100,000 people.
Their football association have long been in turmoil too, ever since FIFA handed president Yves Jean-Bart a life ban from football in 2020 after allegations he had sexually abused female footballers.
In February, that suspension was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Jean-Bart is due to appear in court in October to respond to those allegations, which he denies.
Haiti’s women have been able to put the troubles at home to the back of their minds, reaching the country’s second World Cup, after the men in 1974.
They qualified via the play-offs and Melchie Dumornay is unmistakably their best player. She shone at the Under-20 World Cup in 2018 aged just 14. Now 19, she has just signed for Lyon.
“These are the moments we live for,” said midfielder Danielle Etienne. “We’re trying to bring back the light to Haiti.”
Only Morocco, Zambia and South Africa are ranked lower than the Haitians. In November they were thrashed 5-0 by Portugal and their goalkeeper Kerly Theus stands at just 5ft 4in.
“England are the big dogs and that’s granted,” said Etienne. “We respect them but we’ll give them a fight.”
