Political turmoil at home, ultra-attacking tactics and the best young player in the world: What England can expect from Haiti in their Women's World Cup opener

Haiti's route to Australia and New Zealand began in February with the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. The tournament, which has been won by the United States in all but two of its 11 iterations, acted as World Cup qualifiers for the confederation.

To make it to the CONCACAF W Championship proper, Haiti had to top a group containing Cuba, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the British Virgin Islands. They duly obliged, winning each of their four qualification games and racking up a 44 goal difference.

The next stage of the tournament was less straightforward. Haiti were placed in Group A, where they faced daunting matches against the U.S. and Jamaica - both of which they lost heavily.

However, a third-placed finish was secured courtesy of an outstanding 3-0 victory over hosts Mexico. Roselord Borgella got them off to a flying start with an early penalty, before Nerilia Mondesir also netted from the spot in the 67th minute. Sherly Jeudy then added some gloss to the scoreline shortly after Mexico had Greta Espinoza sent off.

This result ensured Haiti's progression to the inter-confederation play-offs. The semi-final draw was kind, with Les Grenadieres romping to a 4-0 victory over Senegal. This set up a winner-takes-all meeting with Chile in Auckland back in February - and it was a dramatic affair.

The South Americans went into the tie as favourites and thought they'd taken the lead when Daniele Zamora met Yessenia Lopez's free-kick, but the forward's poked effort trickled past the post.

Instead, it would be Haiti who took the lead, with Melchie Dumornay bursting through on goal on the stroke of half-time and producing a wondrous finish into the top corner. The underdogs were far from comfortable in the second half, but defended gallantly and had the chance to rubber-stamp the victory in the 88th minute when they were awarded a penalty.

However, captain Nerilia Mondesir saw her spot kick saved, sparking fears that Haiti were going to let it slip - particularly when Chile struck the crossbar a few minutes later.

Dumornay had other ideas, though. Set free by a clever reverse pass from Mondesir, the Lyon star finished precisely to spark wild celebrations from her team-mates. Maia Jose Rojas' goal in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time made it slightly less comfortable than it could have been, but in the end it didn't matter. Haiti were going to the World Cup.

No prizes for guessing who Haiti's World Cup hopes hinge on. NXGN 2022 winner Dumornay has been tipped to become one of the best players in the world for some time, and this summer she completed a marquee move to Lyon.

Before deciding on the French champions, as many as 50 clubs were interested in signing the wonderkid - a good indication of just how highly she is rated around the world.

Dumornay is best described as the complete midfielder. Despite her tender age, she dominates her opponents physically with driving runs, but is also an exquisite technician. Her footballing intelligence is off the charts toom and a move to Lyon, where she'll get to test herself against some of Europe's best on a regular basis, is only going to make her a better player.

She demonstrated her importance to Haiti throughout qualification, but particularly in that decisive Chile game. The fact she barely celebrated the goal that took her nation to the World Cup also speaks to her supreme confidence. She knows how good she is, and she's ready to take the World Cup by storm.

Coach Nicolas Delepine agrees, telling FIFA+ recently: "'When there's not much at all between teams, you're looking for her to do something. There are other stars in the side alongside her who can pop up and get her the ball, so that she can be the difference. She's also one of those players who makes her team-mates play better."

Dumornay is not the only exciting youngster Haiti have at their disposal. Nineteen-year-old Dayana Pierre-Louis is also turning heads for her performances.

The youngest player in the squad, Pierre-Joseph did not feature in the Chile game, but has forced her way into contention in more recent matches. She started Haiti's friendly against South Korea and has a strong chance of making the lineup against England too.

The midfielder currently turns out for French second-tier side GPSO 92 Issy, and she'll be hoping that her performances this summer can earn her a move to a bigger club.

In truth, nobody really knows...

Haiti coach Delepine was appointed in 2022, having previously made a name for himself with stints in charge of Nantes, Montpellier and Guingamp. He now balances his national team responsibilities with his club job at Grenoble Foot.

Delepine is a tactical shapeshifter, adjusting the team's shape and playing style depending on the opposition. In his side's World Cup tune-up against South Korea, Haiti set up in a variant of a 4-4-2, with two attacking midfielders in front of a double pivot. However, in previous games, the composition of the midfield and front line has been shifted from match to match.

Generally, Haiti have been pretty attacking. "We go on the attack, taking on defenders one-on-one, running hard," Delepine has said previously. "We bet on our attack because it is very strong."

Whether they continue to back themselves to pull off this gung-ho style against a team as strong as England remains to be seen.

Speaking to the Guardian, Delepine set some pretty lofty ambitions for his side. "We’re going there as outsiders and we’ve said that the bigger the mountains and the bigger the challenges, the more beautiful the success,"he said. "You might think we’re a bit crazy or out of our minds, but we want to go and spring a surprise, maybe a couple and, why not, make the last 16."

However, he did temper these aims slightly a little later: "When you take a step back and look at the women’s world ranking, we’ve got the hardest group in the tournament. We’re up against England, who are fourth, as well as China who are 14th and Denmark who are 18th [now 13th]. But we will certainly give it our best shot."

Dumornay has also spoken well about the significance of her team making it to the World Cup, telling the Daily Mail: "With all the recent problems in Haiti, there has been a general regression in football. I think that if the situation were more normalised, there would be more opportunity for players to come through and there could be an impulse to drive youngsters forward into the game. As things are, there's an uncertainty and there's doubt about going out and about, whether that be to go to school to study, or to go out and play sports.

"There is a degree of risk, which I think holds back the potential of a lot of people. There were never that many options for taking up football in Haiti, compared to the facilities placed at the disposal of youngsters starting out in Europe and other countries around the world.

"We just did the best we could with what was available to us. Women's football was also that step further behind in terms of amenities and opportunities, but we did what we could and I have managed to come through to where I am now."

It's going to be tough for Haiti. The draw has been unkind to them, with England, China and Denmark operating in conditions that are a world away from the struggles in their own country.

Qualification is a historic achievement in itself, but there are reasons to be optimistic about them springing a surprise or two. It really cannot be overstated how transformative Dumornay can be when she's in form, and if they catch their Group B opponents on a bad day, a second-place finish is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Having a coach who knows what they're doing is a big advantage too. Who knows, perhaps they could provide one of the feel-good story of the tournament?