Samba, barbecue, the World Cup, and the 'Spirit of Desallines' — Ain't no party like a Brazil vs Haiti party

This post was going to start with the undeniable and infectious energy in Philadelphia from the moment I stepped out of my car to cover the 2026 World Cup group match between Brazil and Haiti. The smell of the grills, the sound of the music, and celebratory spirit that oozed of the grounds from four hours before kickoff until the long into the night.

Then I met Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first ruler of independent Haiti and namesake of the country's national anthem "La Dessalinienne."

"I am his spirit — I cannot be him but I am his spirit." said Dessalines, who is currently occupying the human shell presented by Haitian-born and Chicago-dwelling Maxence Jeanty.

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Jeanty grew up in Haiti, moved to the United States in 1999, and is following his birth nation around the World Cup dressed in 18th-century military garb. A "distant cousin" of former USMNT striker Jozy Altidore, Jeanty isn't just speaking with me but pausing for photo ops with a good portion of Philadelphia Stadium.

"Everybody wants to take a picture," Jeanty said. "I grew up in Haiti and saw the 1994 World Cup and we were always cheering for the teams and I'm at the point in my life where I'm cheering for my home team. This means a lot. The moment we qualified, I bought all three tickets, and started putting this (uniform) together."

Jeanty, like many other Haitian fans in attendance, did not expect to be here — at least not watching his birth nation on the field against Brazil at a World Cup. But he started seeing hope in 2019 between the youthful vigor of this crop of Haitian players and the berths that would open up for CONCACAF at the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup.

Maxence Jeanty with selfie-seeking Haitian fans prior to the World Cup group match with Brazil on Friday.

Nick Mendola

Haiti, Brazil, and a party for the ages

Philly's portion of the Haitian diaspora is sizable — more than 10,000 Philadelphians are from the Caribbean nation, according to Global Philadelphia — and that made for the incredible scenes in a building otherwise covered in the canary yellow of five-time World Cup champions Brazil.

But there's also an undeniable undercurrent of energy, likely aided by Brazil's status as massive favorites for this match, that sent dance hall vibes throughout the pregame, in-game, and postgame. Brazil fans danced to the Haitian songs played over the stadium sound system. Haitian fans did the same.

Porto Alegre, Brazil native Antonio Smith, 57, traveled with three friends to the game and made a quick connection between the ebullient pregame crowd and the diplomatic relations between Haiti and Brazil.

"Why Haitians can love Brazilians other than this game — because in the very early times Brazil's army was there to protect them," Smith said. "There was a big connection because we supported them in the worst occasions like hurricanes, earthquakes, and other things. I think they like ourselves, our style."

Kai Etienne from California traveled to the match with a friend and said the opponent was perfect for the occasion.

"If Haiti weren't in the World Cup, we'd all be rooting for Brazil," Etienne said. "It's a pleasure to be here and it's an honor to spar with them on equal footing."

Etienne pointed to this positive moment in the spotlight as a unifying moment for Haitians amidst gang violence and humanitarian concerns.

"Haiti haven't been here since the 70s," Etienne said regarding the World Cup. "It's a big deal for our country especially with what's going on right now — a big source of pride and a light at the end of the tunnel where we can bring a positive experience to Haitians both in the country and as part of the diaspora. Take that positive and move it forward."

Jeanty seemed to have circled this fixture amongst the three — Scotland and Morocco sandwich this second group match — when the draw was conducted late last year.

"When I grew up in Haiti, there were two big factions: Argentina fans and Brazil fans." he said. "Today it means a lot to us because we're stepping on the pitch not as fans but as equals. That's why the energy is so far up. We've evolved, we've stepped up our game to be able to do this. That's why you are feeling all this energy."

Maybe things would've been a bit less friendly had Haiti found an early goal and not been out of the match by halftime, but also, maybe not. And in a tough time around the world, we prefer to think the Carnival vibe was something more communal.