Croatia
Coach
Zlatko Dalić
World Cup Appearances
7
Best Finish
Runners-up (2018)
Complete Team Guide
Luka Modrić is 40 years old, plays for AC Milan, and is going to his fifth and final World Cup. Croatia's squad captures a generation saying goodbye alongside one arriving — Gvardiol, Sučić, Baturina — and somehow the Vatreni remain one of the hardest teams to eliminate at a major tournament.
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Road to 2026
Croatia are back at the World Cup and FIFA's November 2025 qualifying coverage says they confirmed first place in Group L by coming from behind to beat the Faroe Islands 3-1 in Rijeka with a match to spare. At this point, that kind of resilience is not surprising. Croatia continue to look like a country that understands tournament football better than its size should allow.
Key Players
Joško Gvardiol
Defender
Manchester City
Gvardiol is now central to how Croatia defend at elite level and represents the defensive future of the side.
Luka Modrić
Midfielder
Real Madrid
Even late in his career, Modric remains one of the emotional and technical leaders around whom Croatia's identity still orbits.
Mateo Kovačić
Midfielder
Manchester City
Kovacic helps sustain control in midfield and remains a key part of how Croatia manage tempo in big matches.
Andrej Kramarić
Forward
Hoffenheim
Kramaric still gives Croatia proven final-third quality and a reliable goalscoring route in tighter games.
Marcelo Brozović
Midfielder
Al-Nassr
Brozovic adds the deeper midfield control and bite that keep Croatia from being overrun when matches become tense.
Goalkeepers
Dominik Livaković
Dinamo Zagreb
Dario Kotarski
Copenhagen
Ivica Pandur
Hull City
Defenders
Joško Gvardiol
Manchester City
Duje Ćaleta-Car
Real Sociedad
Josip Šutalo
Ajax
Josip Stanišić
Bayern Munich
Marin Pongračić
Fiorentina
Martin Erlić
FC Midtjylland
Luka Vušković
Tottenham Hotspur
Midfielders
Luka Modrić
AC Milan
Mateo Kovačić
Manchester City
Mario Pašalić
Atalanta
Nikola Vlašić
Torino
Luka Sučić
Real Sociedad
Martin Baturina
Como
Kristijan Jakić
Augsburg
Petar Sučić
Inter Milan
Nikola Moro
Bologna
Toni Fruk
Rijeka
Attackers
Ivan Perišić
PSV Eindhoven
Andrej Kramarić
Hoffenheim
Ante Budimir
Osasuna
Marko Pašalić
Orlando City
Petar Musa
FC Dallas
Igor Matanović
Freiburg
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