Everything You Need to Know About Croatia Before the 2026 World Cup

All Things Croatia: News, Fixtures, Predictions, and What to Expect from Hravatska

Headlined by one of the best midfielders of his generation in Real Madrid legend Luka Modric, Croatia have certainly been a nation that have not competed but thrived at the FIFA World Cup in the 21st century.

They have also certainly been the surprise package during this period, consistently fighting at the top and making numerous deep runs in the competition since debuting at France 1998.

Since, they have gone on to qualify for six of the last seven, only failing to qualify for South Africa 16 years ago.

The Croats are a very hot or cold side on the world’s biggest stage, either being knocked out in the group stage, or going all the way to the semi finals, or even having the honour of playing in the final in 2018 where they were runners-up to France.

Unlike last World Cup, where they were widely considered to have one of the tougher groups alongside Belgium, Morocco and Canada; this time round, their group is much easier on paper.

Sure, this side have thrived under the tag of underdogs for the past two editions after following up their magical run in 2018, but they are underdogs no more.

It is a vastly experienced squad in many key areas, and they possess an abundance of European-proven players all over. From Dominik Livakovic in goal to Ivan Perisic up top, this team has all the keys to make another deep run.

Zlatko Dalic has been nothing short of a magical appointment to lead Croatia since 2017, but will he be able to secure at least a third semi final appearance in a row?

Croatia’s Road to Qualification

Much like when qualifying for Qatar, where Croatia were blessed with a relatively simple group, they again found themselves certain favourites for automatic qualification for North America when they were drawn into Group L.

The UEFA section of the World Cup qualification draw is made up of 54 nations, with six groups of four, and six groups of five. After being drawn out the pot, Hravatska soon learned they would be joined by Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, and Gibraltar.

Following their last two performances at the World Cup, it was now an expectation for them qualify for 2026, and they made it clear from matchday one.

Heading to Gibraltar with one clear message to be ruthless and unrelenting, they stormed through the southern European nation 7-0, before carrying that momentum into a game at home to the only nation who people may have thought could cause an upset.

However, a stunning second half performance saw them win 5-1. Croatia soon continued their form last September, where they defeated both Faroe Islands and Montenegro 1-0 and 4-0 respectively to go flawless through their first half of fixtures.

They experienced a brief blip in Prague in October, drawing 0-0, but wins at home to Gibraltar and Faroe Islands and away in Montenegro meant they comfortably qualified to North America, dropping just two points with a +22 goal difference.

The only issue now for Dalic was that although they ripped their qualifying group to shreds, only 26 men could board the plane for the World Cup this summer, so big decisions would have to be made.

Croatia’s 2026 World Cup Squad

Now, because the squad isn’t necessarily littered with world class players and incredibly good squad depth, players who didn’t quite make the cut don’t really get noticed too much.

Franjo Ivanović from SL Benfica is one of the first names who jumps out at us. A season under a Jose Mourinho side which went unbeaten too. He did play a back up role, however, with Vangelis Pavlidis taking on the main role. Although, it wasn’t too long ago that he was the main star for Belgian side Union St. Gilloise and led them to their first league title in 90 years, so his absence is certainly surprising. At only 25 too, it could have been a brilliant opportunity to give him experience for the future.

Relegated VfL Wolfsburg’s Lovro Majer was another name who missed out, after receiving a call up to Qatar four years ago. Although it is understandable as he has struggled this season, with Wolfsburg getting relegated to the second tier, but he has a lot of big game experience, having featured in all seven games during their run in 2022, even scoring against Canada in a 4-1 win.

One name which stands out and who could play a huge role this summer is Osasuna’s Ante Budimir. The 34-year-old has been incredible over the past three season, which have also been the best returns of his career. He only made his international debut in 2020, and only played twice in 2022, but he has proven that he could be a starter in North America.

Josko Gvardiol is someone who definitely excites us heading into this summer too, at only 24 years old he has already got a World Cup campaign under his belt and he certainly one of the most experienced defenders in Croatia’s talent pool. This season at Man City has been tough, but this summer is a chance for redemption, and he loves turning out for his country.

Lastly, Petar Sucic is another intriguing choice for the squad. He has proven that he is an excellent upcoming talent. Fatigue is a worry for the 22-year-old, however, who has played an astounding 54 games in his first season for Inter Milan, has only been off for a fortnight is soon to be back on it once again for another month or so.

The Croatia squad for the 2026 World Cup is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (FC København), Ivor Pandur (Hull)

Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Man City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayern), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (FC Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Midfielders: Luka Modric (Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Man City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka)

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (FC Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg)

Key Players to Watch for Croatia at the 2026 World Cup

Luka Modric

There are simply no words to describe this man. Luka Modric has been the most consistent and a top-quality player over the last two decades. He is also just one of four players who played in the 2006 edition set to also appear in 2026.

After being named the worst transfer of the summer after signing for Madrid in 2012, he has proven everyone wrong and become one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. He is Croatia’s all-time World Cup appearance maker with 19 and could potentially reach 200 international caps this summer.

Remarkable.

Ivan Perisic

Veteran experience in the middle is joined by another veteran on the flanks. Perisic has been around forever, and he just seems to get better. He is still banging in the goals wherever he goes, with 50 contributions in his last two seasons for PSV.

He didn’t quite feature in 2006, but has played in the last three editions, proving to be a crucial player in each run. The Vatreni know they will not get as far without him as they would with him, and there is still a script for him to write.

Croatia’s Group and Path to the 2026 World Cup Final

Due to their certain underdog status being no more coming into this tournament, many bookies and data points have Croatia to again have quite a solid run and make their nation proud once again. Via betminer, the Croats have a staggering 82% of making it out the group, where their chances almost halves of making the round of 16. They do have a 21.2% chance of making the top eight, but only a 10.7% chance to repeat similar success to the previous two tournaments.

This is definitely understandable judging by their favourable looking group. Dalic’s side were drawn into Group L, and will be joined by England, Ghana, and Panama. Going off the FIFA rankings, Croatia are the second best in the group at number 11, while England are ranked fourth, Panama 33rd and Ghana 74th.

Without doubt, their toughest test of the group stages happens immediately, when they face off against England in a repeat of their 2018 semi final matchup which Three Lions fans dread to remember. Both sides are in completely different situations in comparison to now, but it does again seem like a match decided by key moments.

No matter the result of their first result, they have a whole week to prepare for Panama, who many believe are the weak links of the group before having a chance to confirm their future fate in their final game against Ghana in Philadelphia.

Now, should they come first in the group, they will play the third-place team from on the following groups in E, H, I, J or K. From here, they will likely play the winner of Group A in the last 16 which, if not Mexico in their home ground, could grant them a very favourable run to the quarter finals. However, from there a match against Brazil looks likely, where their run could come to an end.

The run for second place in this group, however, could spell doom from the get-go. In the round of 32, it would see a tie against Group K’s runners-up, which are likely to be Colombia or Portugal. Even if they make it past them, however, it only sets up a game against current European champions Spain, where their run could come to an end.

The dates and venues of Croatia’s three Group L fixtures are as follows:

• 17th June: England versus Croatia (21:00 pm British Summer Time), Dallas Stadium, Texas
• 24th June: Panama versus Croatia (12:00 am British Summer Time), Toronto Stadium, Ontario
• 27th June: Croatia versus Ghana (10:00 pm British Summer Time), Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania
  

Predicting How Croatia Will Do at the World Cup

Will Croatia Top Group L?

There is definitely a decent chance they do. Of course, we are all hoping for England to smash it out of the park, but being realistic, there is a good chance we mess up the first time we get the chance to.

In terms of realistic group-topping candidates it is just Croatia and England, so I think it will largely depend on the score in Texas. Should the game end in a draw, I think it is more likely that Croatia will finish behind England, however.

How Far Will Croatia Go?

If, following on from the question above, that Croatia do indeed come second, I think their run would come to an end in the round of 16 against the likes of Spain, as I do believe they will squeeze a win out of Colombia – and I actually stand by this if Portugal are the opponent in this scenario.

Should Croatia top the group, however, I reckon they could pave a path to the quarter finals, where whether they play the likes of Brazil or Morocco, we could be in for an exciting tie for sure.

What Factor Will Impact Croatia’s Tournament The Most?

The feeling of no longer being an underdog. Croatia are without a doubt a very well-drilled team who can beat any nation on their day, and they’ve proven that over the last decade or so.

With the underdog label being removed now, they may feel an expectation to perform, which could cause mistakes to be made. If they are able to remain calm and unaffected by this, they will be fine but if not, they may start to struggle in games they shouldn’t necessarily struggle in and may falter to sides they previously competed well against.