Croatia

Croatia at the World Cup 2026

Croatia have been the World Cup's most-overperforming nation for the past two cycles. Runners-up at Russia 2018 (lost the final 4-2 to France). Third place at Qatar 2022 (beat Morocco in the third-place playoff). Both runs came against expectations and both came under Zlatko Dalić — appointed in October 2017 when the federation was on the verge of dismissing him. He remains in charge for the 2026 World Cup, and is now the longest-serving major-tournament manager in international football.

The squad's defining player is Luka Modrić. At 40, he is the only outfield player at this tournament to have played in five previous Cups (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022). He holds Croatia's all-time caps record at 196 and is a former Ballon d'Or winner (2018). He played his club football at Real Madrid through summer 2025 and is currently at AC Milan. The Croatia setup is built around him in a deep-lying central midfield role; whether the 40-year-old can still anchor a tournament-pace four-match knockout run is the central squad question.

Beyond Modrić, the squad has genuine depth. Manchester City's Joško Gvardiol anchors the centre-back pairing. Manchester City's Mateo Kovačić provides midfield drive alongside Modrić. The next generation — Luka Sučić (Real Sociedad), Petar Sučić (Inter Milan, no relation), Martin Baturina (Dinamo Zagreb) — audition for the post-Modrić midfield core. Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim) was the qualifying top scorer with 6 goals.

Group L contains England, Ghana and Panama. England are favourites at 1.50 to win the group; Croatia are second favourites at 4.00. The 2018 semi-final rematch — Croatia 2-1 England at Russia — opens the group on 17 June. Outright tournament price 34.0, fifth among UEFA nations behind France, Spain, England and Portugal.

Group L fixtures

All three group-stage matches for Croatia at World Cup 2026 with current odds from our partner books.

Squad & predicted XI

Livaković · Stanišić, Gvardiol, Šutalo, Sosa · Modrić, Kovačić, Sučić · Perišić, Kramarić, Vlašić

Formation: 4-3-3 · Coach: Zlatko Dalić

How Croatia qualified for World Cup 2026

Croatia qualified from UEFA Group L with seven wins and one draw in eight matches — 26 goals scored, only 4 conceded. The only dropped points were a 0-0 away draw against Czechia in Prague. They sealed the spot on 14 November 2025 with a 3-1 home win over the Faroe Islands in Rijeka, with Gvardiol, Musa and Vlašić on the scoresheet.

Kramarić finished as the squad's leading qualifying scorer with 6 goals. Perišić added 4. Modrić finished the campaign with 1 goal and 8 assists from 7 appearances — heavy minute-management was applied across the campaign to preserve him for the tournament.

The depth question was tested during qualifying when Kovačić missed three matches with a calf injury. Luka Sučić stepped in and delivered two man-of-the-match performances against Montenegro and Gibraltar. The depth audition succeeded.

World Cup history

Croatia have appeared at seven previous World Cups since their independence in 1991 (first qualifying for France 1998). Best finish: runners-up at Russia 2018, the highest finish ever by a nation with a population under 5 million. Third place at France 1998 (their debut tournament) and Qatar 2022 (the third-place playoff over Morocco). They are the only nation in World Cup history to win three knockout matches via extra time within a single tournament (2018 against Denmark, Russia and England).

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