Recent Successes Fuel World Cup Ambitions

Croatia demonstrated its strength in 2026 World Cup qualifying with a decisive 5-1 victory over Czechia on June 9, 2025. This win solidifies their position in Group Stage play. The team currently holds 6 points from 2 games played.

Croatia has a rich history in the FIFA World Cup, having competed in six tournaments since gaining independence in 1991. They have secured podium finishes on three occasions, including a silver medal at the 2018 World Cup Final against France, where they lost 4-2.

A History of World Cup Competition

Since 1992, Croatia has consistently qualified for the World Cup, appearing in the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions of the tournament. The national team has collected two bronze medals (1998, 2022) and one silver medal (2018).

Notably, Croatia is often one of the smallest countries, both in terms of population and land mass, to compete in the World Cup. They are the second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land mass (after the Netherlands) to reach a World Cup Final.

Key Players and Match Details

The match against Czechia saw goals from Andrej Kramaric (42′, 75′), Luka Modric (62′ penalty), Ivan Perisic (68′), and Ante Budimir (72′ penalty). Tomás Soucek scored the lone goal for Czechia in the 58th minute.

The starting lineups for Croatia included Dominik Livakovic, Duje Caleta-Car, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Sutalo, Josip Stanisic, Luka Modric, Mario Pasalic, Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, and Ante Budimir.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Croatia continues its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Further updates on the team’s progress and schedule can be found on FIFA.com.