Haiti and Saudi Arabia meet for first time | OneFootball

MIAMI – The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup continues with Haiti and Saudi Arabia meeting in Group D on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

This will be the first official meeting between the two nations. Saudi Arabia will be making its Gold Cup debut.

Haiti kicking off 10th appearance

Haiti qualified for its 10th Gold Cup by finishing first in Group C of League B in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League, securing an automatic berth to the Group Stage.

Les Grenadiers featured a high-powered offense with 29 goals scored in the CNL. Dukens Nazon led the team in scoring with nine goals, closely followed by Frantzdy Pierrot with seven.

The Caribbean team will seek to match or better its best finish in the tournament, when it reached the Semifinals of the 2019 edition.

Saudi Arabia ready to soar

Saudi Arabia will make its debut as a guest nation in the Concacaf Gold Cup.

The Green Falcons will take center stage with players like Saleh Al-Shehri, who took worldwide spotlight at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as one of the goal scorers in a shocking victory against eventual champions Argentina.

Match Game Notes

Haiti v. Saudi Arabia – An Unprecedented Gold Cup Clash

This will be the first-ever meeting between Haiti and Saudi Arabia in any official competition, and it comes on the Gold Cup stage.

While there is no previous head-to-head history between these two nations, Haiti has faced Asian opposition 11 times in its history. The Caribbean side holds a mixed record with wins against Qatar (2), UAE, Jordan, and draws against China and Japan. Other opponents include Bahrain, South Korea, Oman, and Syria.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, most recently faced a Concacaf side on September 8, 2023, when they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica in a friendly at St. James' Park in England. Francisco Calvo, Manfred Ugalde, and Randall Leal were on target for the Ticos, while Ali Al Bulayhi scored for the Saudis.

Haiti’s latest match against an Asian side was a dramatic 2-1 win over Qatar in the 2023 Gold Cup group stage on June 25 in Houston. Duckens Nazon converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time (45+1’) and Frantzdy Pierrot scored the game-winner deep into added time (90+7’) after Yusuf Abdurisag had given Qatar the lead in the 20th minute.