Goalkeeper from Germany’s fifth-tier makes Haiti’s World Cup squad

Goalkeeper from Germany’s fifth-tier makes Haiti’s World Cup squad

Oberliga Rheinland club Cosmos Koblenz will have a World Cup participant as Haiti’s goalkeeper Josué Duverger makes the 26-man squad. The 26-year-old will be one of the understudies for the captain Johny Placide, who was relegated to the rebranded Ligue 3 in France with Bastia.

No Haitian has played in Bundesliga so far, but the Canadian-born shot-stopper joined the amateur German club in 2024 after spells in Portugal. FC Cosmos were in a relegation fight before four successive victories put them in ninth place in their regional division of Germany's fifth-tier.

Duverger has played in the 3-3 draw against Costa Rica during Haiti’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign. He had a moment to forget when he played against Canada in the qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup. He conceded one of the worst own-goals against his birth country after failing to deal with a back pass with two desperate miskick attempts.

Sébastien Migné’s side are boosted by the commitment of Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor after Haiti returned to the global stage for the first time since their debut in 1974 in West Germany. They will face , and , who were all in the same group back in the 1998 World Cup.