Duckens Nazon, Haiti’s record scorer who escaped the war in Iran by road, awaits a FIFA World Cup dream

Haiti’s record scorer Duckens Nazon was already strapped into his seat, the plane on the tarmac of Tehran airport ready for takeoff, when his phone lit up with a message from a friend playing in Israel.

“The alarm, the war alarm in Israel just went off,” 32-year-old Nazon remembers his friend saying. “I said, wow, I’m so lucky because I’m on the plane right now, ready to take off.”

Ten seconds later his luck ran out.

«The cabin chief said, ‘Everyone must get off the plane. The war has started. The skies are closed,'» Nazon said. Reuters. «And now you’re entering survival mode.»

Nazon, who plays for Tehran-based Esteghlal FC, was trying to reach Paris to secure a visa ahead of the World Cup, where Haiti will compete after a 52-year absence.

Instead, he embarked on an impromptu escape by road that would take him through a country at war and through Azerbaijan.

For Nazon, the danger was immediate, but the adrenaline eased the fear. His main concern was reaching his Moroccan wife and their four children to let them know he was safe after they returned to her home country after struggling to settle in Tehran, a decision he now considers crucial.

“I’m so happy and glad that my family wasn’t with me at this time,” said the former Coventry City striker. “When you are alone, you can think faster and move faster.”

After leaving the plane, Nazon ran into teammate Munir El Haddadi, who had to get off another flight. His instinct was to leave the country as quickly as possible, but the club had to arrange transport for several players.

They drove back towards Tehran, while others tried to flee.

“We took the highway on the way to the city, and the other highway was blocked for miles,” Nazon said. “Nobody wanted to go into the city because the bombs hit there.”

As they drove, he saw explosions nearby.

“We saw one attack at 100 yards,” he said. “When you think about it later, it’s kind of, wow.”

HAITI MAKES WORLD CUP AFTER 52 YEARS OF WAITING

With communications largely down, Nazon had a brief period of connectivity via a team security officer’s phone.

At that time, he contacted his family, asked his wife to book him a flight from Azerbaijan and bought an eSIM in the hope that it would connect close to the border, a decision he credits with saving his life.

After waiting hours for delayed transport, he left for a long drive to Azerbaijan.

“I was on the road for maybe twenty hours in total,” he says. «I saw some impacts… in the sky.»

At the border, officials refused to let him through and demanded additional paperwork, but with an intermittent signal from his Azerbaijani eSIM he managed to reach the French embassy and its representatives, ultimately securing passage.

Two days later he boarded a flight to Paris.

The experience made him think about the human costs of conflict.

“People are losing their lives, they are losing their families… for what?” he said. “I pray for peace.”

His future at club level remains uncertain. Nazon has one year left on his contract with Esteghlal and said he would return when conditions stabilized.

“When the war is over and things are calm, I will play football again,” he said.

For the time being, his focus is on the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Haiti’s qualification ends a 52-year wait – achieved despite all matches being played away from home due to gang violence – a milestone that is difficult for Nazon to fully process.

“I don’t even have words for it,” he said. I think the day I’ll realize it is the day I’m on the pitch and they say it’s the World Cup match.»

“It gives me goosebumps”

Haiti faces Brazil, Morocco and Scotland and faces a huge task, but Nazon insists they will not be intimidated.

“We are not afraid of anyone,” he said. “We are humbled, but also proud because we are Haitian.”

He takes that pride from his upbringing in Poissy, a working-class neighborhood west of Paris, which he describes as ‘a kind of ghetto’, and from his Haitian roots, where both his parents were born there. His idol is the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, and Nazon is also a number nine, just like the World Cup winner. Now, as Haiti’s record scorer with 44 goals in 80 appearances, he is chasing another dream.

“I want to score at the World Cup,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who.”

When asked if he was looking forward to making Haitians, who have endured years of political unrest and hardship, proud, he paused. “It gives me goosebumps,” he said. “This emotion is incredible.”

Published on May 18, 2026