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Episode details

World Service,19 Jun 2026,20 mins

World Cup 2026: Why Haiti v Brazil is more than just another game

More than the Score

Available for over a year

Haiti's second game at World Cup 2026 sees them face the tournament's most famous team: Brazil. After losing their opening match to Scotland, Haiti need a result - but, as More than the Score's Mani Djazmi hears, plenty of Haitians might be rooting for Brazil instead. Journalist Pierre Richard Midy explains how the history of football in Haiti is intertwined with the Brazilian team – to the extent that many Haitians support them more than their own national side - and why Pele became a revered figure in the country. He also reveals the lengths to which people in Haiti are having to go to just to watch the tournament, with electricity in short supply, and argues that "Haiti needs much more than the World Cup" to end the gang violence that plagues the country. We also hear from Haiti's record scorer, Duckens Nazon, about how he hopes his team can win round the country's Brazil fans. Plus, singer Nathalie Cerin tells the BBC's John Bennett what the experience of watching Haiti at the World Cup is like for expats in Philadelphia. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

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