DATE & VENUE — Thursday, November 13, 2025: Haiti hosts Costa Rica on Matchday 5 of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying (Group C). Venue: Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad (Curaçao). Leading trackers list a 00:00 UTC kickoff (Fri), which maps to the 8:00–9:00 p.m. AST window. Check local listings day-of for final confirmation.

TABLE AFTER MD4 — Honduras 8 pts (+5), Costa Rica 6 (+3), Haiti 5 (0), Nicaragua 1 (−8). With two rounds left, Haiti remain firmly in contention: win at “home” and the final-day math becomes highly favorable.

RECENT H2H — Sep 9, 2025, in San José: Costa Rica 3–3 Haiti. Duckens Nazon scored a hat-trick; Juan Pablo Vargas equalized at the death for the Ticos. The matchup has been tight in recent years (1–1 draws in 2019, Haiti’s 2–1 Gold Cup win in 2019).

TACTICAL SNAPSHOT — Haiti target a compact mid-block with fast channel releases and cut-backs to zone 14 rather than hopeful aerials. Costa Rica’s default is 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 pragmatism: second-ball control, measured tempo, and set-piece threat. Expect a chess match over rest-defense structure and wing-channel timing.

PLAYER WATCH — Haiti: Duckens Nazon (top scorer in this third-round window through mid-October), Jean-Ricner Bellegarde threading lines, plus a screening pivot to protect the top of the box. Costa Rica: creative 10, pace wide, and dead-ball delivery that punishes sloppy fouls.

KEY EDGES — (1) Avoid cheap fouls in the outer third; (2) Win first contact on corners and be ready for second phases; (3) Keep a 2+1 rest-defense behind attacks to deter diagonals; (4) Use minute 60–90 injections (speed wide, a fresh 9 to pin the line) to tilt game state.

IF/THEN GAME STATES — If Haiti score first: Costa Rica will push a full-back and tuck the near winger inside, exposing the channel for weak-side runs. At 1–1 late, subs and set pieces tend to decide it—screening on corners and delivery quality become coin-flip levers.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR — Haiti’s preference for cut-backs over floaters, keeper-center-back coordination on inswingers, and foul geography (smart tactical fouls far from goal; none while broken).

HOW TO WATCH — In the U.S., coverage typically appears via major soccer carriers like Fubo/Paramount+; in the Caribbean/Haiti, consult FHF channels and regional partners. Verify local time (AST/COT/CST) on matchday.

BOTTOM LINE — The table is tight and the margins are thinner. Conversion on Haiti’s transition windows and discipline on restarts can turn this from a knife-edge into a statement win.