Croatia at the World Cup 2026: Squad, fixtures, group and history

Croatia were runners-up in 2018, and took bronze medals last time out, so they have standards to maintain at FIFA World Cup 2026. Zlatko Dalić’s side, led by captain Luka Modrić, face England, Panama and Ghana in Group L. Below you will find everything you need to know about Croatia at the 2026 World Cup: their fixtures, squad, qualifying record, key players, coach and tournament history.

Croatia at the World Cup 2026: At a glance

Coach: Zlatko Dalić
Captain: Luka Modrić
World Cup appearances: 6
Best finish: Runners-up (2018)

Croatia's World Cup matches

Group L

17 June: England vs Croatia (Dallas, 22:00 CET)
24 June: Panama vs Croatia (Toronto, 01:00 CET)
27 June: Croatia vs Ghana (Philadelphia, 23:00 CET)

Croatia’s group fixtures are being played across three host cities, with the knockout rounds to follow for teams that progress from Group L.

Croatia's World Cup squad

Croatia’s 26-man World Cup squad includes plenty of battle-hardened talent, not least midfield magician and captain Luka Modrić, who can make it to 200 caps at these finals. Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić continue to lead the goalscoring charge.

How Croatia qualified for the World Cup

First place in Group L: W7 D1 L0 F26 A4

Gibraltar 0-7 Croatia
Croatia 5-1 Czechia
Faroe Islands 0-1 Croatia
Croatia 4-0 Montenegro
Czechia 0-0 Croatia
Croatia 3-0 Gibraltar
Croatia 3-1 Faroe Islands
Montenegro 2-3 Croatia

Top scorer: Andrej Kramarić (6 goals)

Croatia coach: Zlatko Dalić

Hired in 2017, Zlatko Dalić is leading Croatia at a third successive World Cup finals, having overseen the nation's greatest success to date when he took them to the 2018 final. A defensive midfielder who spent much of his playing career at Hajduk Split and Varteks, he took charge of Croatia after successfully leading clubs in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Croatia captain: Luka Modrić

At 40, Luka Modrić continues to sparkle at the top level in European football, having ended a long, successful spell at Real Madrid to join AC Milan at the start of the 2025/26 campaign. A three-time Croatian title winner at GNK Dinamo, his haul in Spain includes six UEFA Champions League titles. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is closing on 200 appearances for Croatia.

Croatia's World Cup history 

Most appearances: Luka Modrić (19)
Top scorer: Ivan Perišić, Davor Šuker (6)
Best performance: Runners-up (2018)
World Cup 2022: Third place

Since earning a third-place finish at the 1998 finals in France, Croatia have only missed one World Cup (the 2010 edition) and have been exceptional in the last two editions, reaching the final for the first time in 2018, and then the semi-finals in Qatar last time out, losing to eventual winners Argentina before winning the third-place play-off against Morocco.

Croatia's UEFA Nations League fixtures: Group A3

26 September: Czechia vs Croatia (20:45)
29 September: Spain vs Croatia (20:45)
3 October: Croatia vs England (18:00)
6 October: Croatia vs Spain (20:45)
12 November: England vs Croatia (20:45)
15 November: Croatia vs Czechia (20:45)

All times CET.