Twenty-two years after Brazil crushed Haiti 6-0 in a politically charged “Peace Game” in Port-au-Prince, the two nations will meet again on June 19, 2026, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This time, the stakes are purely competitive: a Group C match at the FIFA World Cup.
The 2004 match that was really about geopolitics
On August 18, 2004, Brazil traveled to Haiti for a friendly that doubled as a diplomatic mission. Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win, but the real action was happening off the pitch.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the match in person. He met with Haiti’s interim president and signed cooperation agreements between the two countries. The game was part of a broader UN-led stabilization effort in Haiti during one of the Caribbean nation’s most turbulent periods.
From Port-au-Prince to Philadelphia
