Samba, barbecues, the World Cup and the 'Spirit of Dessalines' — There's no party like Brazil vs Haiti

This article will begin with the undeniable and infectious energy in Philadelphia from the moment I stepped off the bus to attend the 2026 World Cup match between Brazil and Haiti. The smell of grilled meat, the sound of music, and the spirit of celebration filled the stadium from four hours before kickoff until late at night.

I met Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first leader of independent Haiti and for whom the country's national anthem is named "La Dessalinienne." "I am his spirit — I cannot be him but I am his spirit," said Dessalines, now portrayed by Maxence Jeanty, a Haitian living in Chicago. Jeanty grew up in Haiti, moved to the United States in 1999 and followed his homeland throughout the World Cup, wearing 18th-century military garb.

"Everyone wanted to take pictures," Jeanty shares. "I grew up in Haiti and watched the 1994 World Cup, always cheering for the teams and now I'm cheering for my home team. This means a lot. As soon as we qualified, I bought all three tickets and started preparing this kit."

Jeanty, like many Haitian fans at the game, didn't expect to be here — at least not watching his homeland on the field against Brazil at a World Cup. But he is starting to see hope in 2019 with the youth and enthusiasm of the current Haitian squad and the possible spots opening up for CONCACAF in the 2026 World Cup with 48 teams.

The number of Haitians in Philadelphia is huge — more than 10,000 according to Global Philadelphia — and it has created great scenes in a stadium usually blanketed in the yellow colors of five-time World Cup champion Brazil. But there was also an undeniable energy, perhaps aided by Brazil's status as frontrunners for this match, that kept the music pumping throughout the pre- and post-match hours.


Brazilian fans danced to Haitian songs played over the stadium's sound system. Haitian fans did the same thing. Antonio Smith, 57, a native of Porto Alegre, Brazil, came to the match with three friends and immediately linked the happy pre-match crowd to the diplomatic relationship between Haiti and Brazil.

"Why can Haitians love Brazilians beyond this game — because in the early days, the Brazilian army was there to protect them," Smith said. "There's a big connection because we supported them in bad times like storms, earthquakes and other things. I think they like us, our style."

Kai Etienne from California came to the match with a friend and said the opponent was perfect for the occasion. "If Haiti wasn't in the World Cup, we would all be cheering for Brazil," Etienne said. "It's an honor to be here and an honor to compete with them on the same playing field."

Etienne points to this positive moment in the spotlight as a moment of solidarity for Haitians amid gang violence and humanitarian issues. "Haiti hasn't been there since the 70s," Etienne said of the World Cup. "It's a big deal for our country, especially with what's going on right now — a source of great pride and light at the end of the tunnel that we can provide a positive experience for Haitians both at home and in the diaspora. Let's create positivity and move forward."

Jeanty appeared to have chosen this match out of three — Scotland and Morocco were in the middle of this second group tie — when the draw was held late last year. "When I was growing up in Haiti, there were two big factions: Argentina fans and Brazil fans," he said. "This means a lot to us today because we are not just fans but equal people. That's why the energy is so high. We've grown, we've raised our game to be able to do this. That's why you feel all this energy."

Maybe things would have been less friendly had Haiti scored early and not been eliminated from the match before the break, but maybe not. And in a difficult time in the world, we like to think of the festive atmosphere as something more communal.