Honduras beat visiting Haiti 3-0 on Monday to seize the lead in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group and boost its chances of reaching the 2026 finals.
Haiti entered the match in Tegucigalpa leading Group C on goal difference against Honduras after the sides played out a 0-0 draw last month.
But Honduras led with eight points, two ahead of Costa Rica, which defeated Nicaragua 4-1 at home, while Haiti dropped to third, one point further.
The final two rounds of the qualifiers will take place in November.
CONCACAF’s United States, Canada and Mexico have already qualified as co-hosts.
The last twelve teams are divided into three groups, the winners of which also qualify.
The two second-place teams with the best records still have a chance to qualify through play-offs with teams from other regions.
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Honduran forward Rigoberto Rivas opened the scoring in the 18th minute in Tegucigalpa, taking a high-bouncing through ball from Kervin Arriaga and throwing it over Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide.
Anthony Lozano put Honduras 2-0 in the 26th minute with a right foot shot from Luis Palma.
Romell Quioto completed the scoring with a close-range effort in the 40th minute.
In San Jose, Alonso Martinez opened the scoring for Costa Rica in the 12th minute, but Junior Arteaga equalized in the 26th.
Martinez scored again in the 28th minute to restore the lead and Manfred Ugalde made it 3-1 in the 49th minute.
A left-footed bicycle kick from Francisco Calvo made it 4-1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Qualifying matches on Tuesday include Trinidad and Tobago vs. Curacao, Bermuda vs. Jamaica, Suriname vs. Panama and Guatemala vs. El Salvador.
Published on October 14, 2025
