Croatia national football team

Croatian footballers played for the national teams of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919–39) and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–92), though during periods of political upheaval, ethnically Croatian sides occasionally formed to play unofficial matches.[4] A more hastily arranged Croatian side, managed by Hugo Kinert, played some matches in 1918–19.[5][6]

In 1940, Jozo Jakopić led an unofficial national team representing the Banovina of Croatia (part of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) in four friendly matches against Switzerland and Hungary.[7] Following invasion by the Axis powers, the Croatian Football Federation became active, joining FIFA on 17 July 1941, representing the Independent State of Croatia. The side, led by Rudolf Hitrec, went on to play 15 friendly matches, 14 of those as a member of FIFA.[8][9] Croatia's first recorded result as a FIFA member was a 1–1 draw with Slovakia on 8 September in Bratislava.[7] The Independent State of Croatia continued playing matches until 1945 and the end of World War II when People's Republic of Croatia was formed as constituent part of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.[9] From 1945 to 1956, unofficial Croatian teams were active once again. In September 1945, the state authorities organised the Yugoslav Football Tournament to commemorate the end of World War II. All republics had their national teams with Croatia finishing third behind the team representing the Yugoslav People's Army and Serbia.[10] Croatia also played games against Indonesia and a Yugoslav team playing as Serbia.[6] The Yugoslavia squad at the 1956 Summer Olympic included Croatian footballers[11] as did Yugoslavia at the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship tournament up to 1990.[12][13]

A Yugoslav team to field a Croatian contingent played against Faroe Islands on 16 May 1991, days before the Croatian independence referendum.[14] An unofficial Croatian team was formed before and played the team's first modern international game, against the United States on 17 October 1990 at Maksimir Stadium. The game, which Croatia won 2–1,[15] was one of three games played under caretaker manager Dražan Jerković. The match against the American side also marked the introduction of Croatia's national jersey, inspired by the chequered design of the country's coat of arms.[16] Although Croatia was still officially part of Yugoslavia until its independence declaration on 8 October 1991, this team already served as a de facto national side.[17][18] Croatia went on to win two more friendly games under Jerković, against Romania in December 1990 and Slovenia in June 1991.

On 3 July 1992, Croatia was re-admitted to FIFA, playing its first official matches in the modern era against Australia in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. This team was led by Stanko Poklepović as part of an international exhibition tour; in April 1993, Vlatko Marković was appointed as manager. Croatia finally gained admission into UEFA in June 1993 which was too late for the national team to enter the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification as these already commenced the year before. Marković only led the team in one match, a home win against Ukraine in June 1993, before being dismissed in February 1994 and replaced by Miroslav Blažević the following month. The team's performances before Croatia's official independence were not recorded by FIFA so they entered the World Rankings in 125th place.[19][20] Blažević led Croatia's Euro 1996 qualifying campaign, beginning with the nation's first post-independence competitive victory, a 2–0 win over Estonia on 4 September 1994. Their first competitive defeat came on 11 June 1995 in a 1–0 away loss to Ukraine during the same qualifying campaign.[7] They eventually finished first in their qualifying group[21] and won FIFA's 1994 Best Mover of the Year award as they moved up to 62nd in the rankings by the end of the year.[22]

The 1998 Third Place Certificate for Croatia.

Goran Vlaović scored the team's first goal at a major tournament, a late winner against Turkey at the City Ground in Nottingham in their first group match at the Euro 1996.[23] After their opening victory, Croatia beat reigning champions Denmark 3–0[24] then went on to lose against Portugal by the same scoreline in their finals group fixture.[25] Croatia advanced to the knockout stage and were beaten in the quarter-finals 1–2 by Germany.[26]

Blažević continued to lead Croatia in the 1998 World Cup qualification campaign which ended after an aggregate victory against Ukraine in the two-legged play-off. In the group stage of the World Cup, Croatia beat Jamaica, Japan and lost to Argentina before defeating Romania to reach a quarter-finals tie against Germany.[27] Croatia won 3–0 with goals from Robert Jarni, Goran Vlaović and Davor Šuker, all after Christian Wörns had been sent off. Croatia then faced the host France in the semi-finals. After a goalless first-half, Croatia took the lead only to concede two goals by opposing defender Lilian Thuram and lose 1–2. In the third-place match, Croatia beat the Netherlands 2–1 with Davor Šuker winning the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals of the tournament with six goals in seven games.[28] Croatia's debut performance in 1998 equals Portugal's third place debut finish at the 1966 World Cup and as a result, Croatia rose to number three in the January 1999 FIFA World Rankings, their highest ranking to date.[20][12] The team of the 1990s was dubbed the "golden generation."[29][30] A portion of this squad (Jarni, Štimac, Boban, Prosinečki and Šuker) previously won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship with the Yugoslavia under-20 team.

Croatia's qualifying campaign for Euro 2000 ended as they finished third in their qualifying group behind FR Yugoslavia and the Republic of Ireland.[31] Both fixtures against archrivals FR Yugoslavia (the rump state which was later renamed Serbia and Montenegro) ended in draws which prevented Croatia from qualifying for the tournament.[32]

Fans during the Euro 2004 in Portugal

Blažević resigned in October 2000 following draws against Belgium and Scotland in the first two games of the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. His successor at the helm of the team was Mirko Jozić. Croatia went unbeaten during the rest of the qualifiers. They opened their 2002 World Cup campaign with a narrow loss to Mexico before producing a 2–1 victory over Italy in the next fixture.[33][34] They lost their finals group fixture to Ecuador and were eliminated.[35] Jozić then resigned and was replaced in July 2002 by Otto Barić, the team's first manager born outside of the Balkans.[36][37]

The 2002 Croatia's home jersey.

During Barić's tenure, most of the remaining players from the "golden generation" squad were gradually replaced by younger players over the course of the Euro 2004 qualifiers. Croatia went on to qualify for the tournament with a play-off victory against Slovenia, winning 2–1 on aggregate after Dado Pršo's decisive late goal in the second leg.[38] At the finals tournament in Portugal, Croatia drew 0–0 with Switzerland and 2–2 with France[39] only to lose to England 2–4 and undergo another elimination in the group stage.[40] Barić's two-year contract ended in June 2004 and was not renewed.[41] Former Croatia international Zlatko Kranjčar, appointed to succeed Barić in July 2004, led the team through the 2006 World Cup qualifiers without losing a single match and topping the group ahead of Sweden and Bulgaria.[42][43] Local media outlets accused him of nepotism for selecting his son Niko Kranjčar for the squad.[44] At the 2006 World Cup, Croatia lost their opening game to Brazil and drew 0–0 with Japan after Darijo Srna missed a first-half penalty.[45][46] A 2–2 draw with Australia in which three players were sent off confirmed Croatia's exit in the group stage.[47] The game included a mistake by referee Graham Poll who gave three yellow cards to Croatian defender Josip Šimunić, failing to send him off after his second offense. He later stated that he mistook Šimunić for an Australian player due to his Australian accent.[lower-alpha 1] Poll was criticised for losing control of the match and retired from refereeing afterwards.[48]

In July 2006, the Croatian Football Federation replaced Kranjčar with Slaven Bilić.[49] Bilić who previously managed the under-21 team between 2004 and 2006 introduced a host of players into the squad. His first game was a friendly away victory against Italy.[50][51] After suspending Darijo Srna, Ivica Olić and Boško Balaban for missing a curfew after a nightclub outing, Bilić led the team through the Euro 2008 qualifying.[52] Croatia topped their group, losing one game to Macedonia and beating England twice, who as a result failed to qualify for the first time since 1984.[53][54]

Croatia vs. Brazil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Before the European Championship, Eduardo–who was the team's top goalscorer during qualifying–underwent a compound fracture while playing for Arsenal in the Premier League. Bilić was forced to alter his finals Euro 2008 squad and recruited Nikola Kalinić and Nikola Pokrivač, neither of whom had yet played competitive games for the national team.[55] The team received some criticism after "poor attacking" performances in warm-up games against Scotland and Moldova. At the tournament, they beat Austria, Germany and Poland in the group stages to reach the quarter-finals with maximum group points for the first time in their tournament history.[56][57][58] Niko Kovač remained team captain at what was expected to be his finals international tournament, except in the finals group fixture when Dario Šimić temporarily held the captain's armband.[59][60] Croatia's campaign ended when they lost a penalty shoot-out to Turkey, with Luka Modrić, Mladen Petrić and Ivan Rakitić all missing their penalties. Croatia left the tournament with records for fewest goals conceded (2), fewest games lost (0),[lower-alpha 2] and earliest goal (in the fourth minute of their opening game against Austria; this was also the all-time earliest successful penalty at the European Championship finals).[61][62][63][64]

Following the tournament, Bilić renewed his contract, becoming the first manager since Blažević to lead Croatia to successive tournament.[65] Croatia were again drawn to play England in the qualifying stages for the 2010 World Cup; the tie was voted the most anticipated of the campaign on FIFA.com.[66] After a home win against Kazakhstan, Croatia lost at home to England, ending a 14-year unbeaten home record.[67][68] The team then had a number of players' injuries and went on to lose 5–1 to England at the Wembley Stadium. Although Croatia defeated Kazakhstan in their finals qualifying fixture, they were ultimately eliminated as Ukraine who had previously defeated group leaders England beat Andorra to win second place in the group. Bilić vowed to renew his contract and remain in charge.

Croatia vs. Italy match at UEFA Euro 2012

Despite falling outside the top ten in the FIFA World Rankings, Croatia were placed in the top tier of teams for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying draw; Croatia was previously a candidate to co-host the tournament with Hungary which would have allowed the team to qualify automatically but UEFA eventually chose Poland and Ukraine as hosts instead. Being top-seeds in their qualifying group, Croatia finished second behind Greece, settling for a play-off against Euro 2008 rivals Turkey.[69] Croatia proceeded to beat Turkey 3–0 on aggregate with all three goals coming in the away leg in Istanbul, thereby qualifying for the Euro 2012. In the proceeding group stage draw for the tournament, Croatia were placed in the third tier of teams and were eventually grouped with the Republic of Ireland, Italy and defending champions Spain.

In the buildup towards the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, the team's first major competition since their 2008 run at the same event, manager Slaven Bilić formally agreed a deal to manage Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, thereby announcing he would resign from the national team when the tournament ended. Croatia opened their campaign with a 3–1 victory over the Republic of Ireland, with striker Mario Mandžukić scoring twice. Mandžukić continued his run at the tournament with an equaliser in the 1–1 draw against Italy which was marred by fan reactions and referee decisions from English official Howard Webb. Croatia exit the tournament in the group stage once again after losing 0–1 to Spain. Upon Bilić's formal departure, Jutarnji list daily labelled him as Croatia's "only manager to depart on such positive terms" and credited him for his "strong revival" of the national side during his six-year tenure.[70]

Croatia vs. Brazil at 2014 World Cup

Following Bilić, former player and pundit Igor Štimac was appointed manager of the national team. Croatia's all-time top goalscorer Davor Šuker also took over as president of the Croatian Football Federation after the death of Vlatko Marković ended a 14-year tenure.[71][72] After a year of his appointment, Štimac was replaced by former captain Niko Kovač who previously managed the under-21 youth side.[73] Kovač led the team to a 2–0 aggregate victory over Iceland in the qualifying playoffs for the 2014 World Cup with both goals coming in the home leg in Zagreb.[74] At the World Cup, Croatia were drawn with host-nation Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon. In the opening match of the tournament, Croatia lost 3–1 to Brazil. The match garnered media attention and controversy as referee Yuichi Nishimura was scrutinized for a number of decisions.[75] In their second match, Croatia won 4–0 against Cameroon[76] then did not progress from the group as they lost 3–1 to Mexico in their finals fixture.[77][78]

In the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, Croatia were drawn against Italy, Bulgaria, Norway, Azerbaijan and Malta.[79] Following a goalless away draw against Azerbaijan and an away defeat to Norway,[80] in September 2015, the executive committee of the Croatian Football Federation unanimously decided to terminate Kovač's contract.[81] On 21 September 2015, Ante Čačić was named head coach of the Croatian team.[82] On 13 October 2015, Croatia qualified for the finals by finishing as runners-up in Group H.[83] Under Čačić, Croatia broke the record for most goals scored in one match after defeating San Marino 10–0 in a friendly.[84]

Croatia v Portugal at Euro 2016.

At Euro 2016, Croatia were drawn in Group D alongside Turkey, Czech Republic and defending champions Spain. Croatia began their campaign with a 1–0 win over Turkey; following a volley kick from Luka Modrić.[85] The next match was against Czech Republic. With Croatia taking the lead through Ivan Perišić and doubling it through Ivan Rakitić before goals from Milan Škoda and a last-minute penalty from Tomáš Necid; there was crowd trouble in the last minutes of the match with flares being thrown on the pitch and a steward being hurt by a firework during stoppage time.[86][87]

Croatia's finals match was against Spain; conceding a goal from Álvaro Morata before goals from Nikola Kalinić and a winning goal from Perišić securing Croatia a historic win as they topped the group, meanwhile for Spain it was their first defeat at a Euro finals match for the first time since 2004.[88][89] After the match, Croatia were tipped as one of the tournament favourites[90][91] and drew Portugal in the round of 16 who finished third in the group advancing only as the third-best third-placed team.[92]

The match was described by BBC Sport as "abysmal", with Ricardo Quaresma's winning goal in the 117th minute after Ivan Perišić hit the post with a header in the previous attack, knocking Croatia out of the tournament.[93] After the Euro 2016 campaign, Darijo Srna announced his retirement from international football, amassing a record 134 appearances for the national side. Luka Modrić was announced as his successor for team captain.[94][95]

The 2017–18 squad posing with Vladimir Putin and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović after the 2018 World Cup Final against France.

Croatia was undefeated for their first five 2018 World Cup qualification matches. The following consecutive defeats against Iceland and Turkey as well as a draw against Finland caused a public outcry against manager Čačić.[96][97] He was replaced by Zlatko Dalić who led the team to a 2–0 win against Ukraine in Kyiv,[98] securing a spot in the play-off round against Greece. Croatia went on to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after beating Greece 4–1 on aggregate with all goals coming in the first leg in Zagreb.[99][100]

In the buildup to the World Cup, The Guardian among other news outlets labelled the 2017–18 squad as Croatia's second "golden generation".[101][102] Players drew comparisons to their 1998 counterparts.[103][104][105] Croatia started their World Cup campaign with a 2–0 victory over Nigeria.[106][107] The following 3–0 victory over Argentina marked Vedran Ćorluka earning his 100th cap for Croatia.[108][109][110] Croatia then defeated Iceland to top the group, marking their best ever performance in the group stages of the World Cup.[111][112]

The team arrival in Zagreb after the 2018 World Cup.

Playing Denmark in the round of 16, Croatia prevailed in a penalty shoot-out for the first time[113][114][115] after goalkeeper Danijel Subašić saved three penalties, equalling the record for most penalties saved in a match. In the quarter-finals, Croatia drew 2–2 with hosts Russia, becoming the first team since 1990 to win two consecutive penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup.[116][117][118] Playing England in the semi-finals, Croatia equalized once more to force their third consecutive extra time, equalling another record for most extra time matches at the tournament.[119][120] Mario Mandžukić eventually scored as Croatia won 2–1 making them the second-smallest country by population to reach a World Cup finals (after Uruguay in 1930).[121][122] Croatia lost the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final 4–2 to France where a free kick was awarded to France for a possible dive by Antoine Griezmann as well as penalty later in the game awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a handball by Ivan Perišić.[123] After the match, Luka Modrić became the first Croatian to win the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament. The Croatian players were welcomed by an estimated half a million people at their homecoming in the capital of Zagreb.[124]

On 23 January 2018, Croatia were drawn to play against England and Spain in the League A of inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League.[125][126] On 11 September 2018, Croatia lost 6–0 away to Spain in their first Nations League game, with the result becoming Croatia's record loss in the process.[127] Croatia drew 0–0 home with England,[128] played behind closed doors due to UEFA punishment.[129] In the next match against Spain, Croatia won 3–2 at home with a goal in stoppage time.[130] Due to a 2–1 away defeat to England, Croatia placed last in the group and were relegated to League B of the next edition of the tournament.[131]

On 2 December 2018, Croatia was the seeded team of the Group E, grouped with Wales, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan for Euro 2020 qualifying.[132] Croatia started their qualifying campaign narrowly winning on 21 March against Azerbaijan and narrowly losing on 24 March to Hungary.[133][134][135] Although they dropped points by drawing with Azerbaijan and Wales away, Croatia managed to top their qualifying group for the first time since Euro 2008 qualifying.[136] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Euro 2020 was postponed for a year.[137]

Due to a rule change in the Nations League, Croatia avoided relegation and remained in League A where they were drawn in the same group with Portugal, France and Sweden.[138][139] Croatia lost all games apart from Sweden at home, conceding more goals than any other team in the Nations League (apart from Iceland),[140][141][142] but once again avoided relegation to League B due to achieving better goal difference than last-placed Sweden.[143] Winning only two out of eight games in 2020, Croatia achieved their worst annual result in their history.[144]

Croatia lost their opening World Cup qualifier to Slovenia 1–0 and scraped past Cyprus and Malta 1–0 and 3–0, respectively.[145][146] Dalić afterwards made a statement about the lack of team spirit among the players and vowed to restore it ahead of the beginning of Euro 2020.[147] Croatia failed to win in any of their pre-tournament friendlies against Armenia and Belgium, drawing 1–1 and losing 1–0, respectively.[148][149] At the Euro 2020, Croatia were drawn in Group D with England, Czech Republic and the play-off winner C (which later turned out to be Scotland).[150] Croatia finished second in their group, with a 1–0 loss to England, a 1–1 tie with the Czech Republic and a 3–1 win over Scotland. They advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Spain 5–3 after extra time.[151] Following poor performances before and during the tournament, Dalić–alongside a number of players–was severely criticized by the Croatian public and called upon to resign.[152][153][154][155] During the remainder of the World Cup qualifying, Dalić refreshed the team roster by introducing several younger debutants. Croatia finished the qualifying unbeaten, dropping points only by drawing 0–0 with Russia away and 2–2 with Slovakia at home. The successful campaign made Dalić the first coach in the history of the national team to qualify them for three major tournaments.[156][157][158]

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Croatia national football team kits.

The Croatian chequy.

Croatia's modern-day jersey was designed in 1990 by Miroslav Šutej who also designed the nation's flag, coat of arms and banknotes. The red and white motif is based on the Croatian checkerboard (šahovnica) which has been used to represent Croats since the Middle Ages.[159][160][161] Although there have been variations made by the kit manufacturers since the original release, the jersey design has remained consistent throughout the years and has served as a blueprint for some other Croatian national sports teams and entities.[16] The typical combination has featured red-and-white chequred shirts, white shorts and blue socks, mirroring the tricolour of the country's flag.

Away kits used by the team have for a period been all-blue, incorporating the red-and-white chequers as a trim. Croatia has moved to using darker away kits such as the dark navy-and-black chequered design that featured prominently in the 2018 World Cup campaign. The Vatreni have often been required to use their away kits even when playing at home or when being listed as the designated "home" team at neutral venues as teams also using a red-and-white colour scheme often use a red home kit and white away kit or vice versa, both clash with the chequers of Croatia.

Kit supplier	Period
Uhlsport	1990–1991
Lotto	1992–1994
Kappa	1994
Lotto	1994–2000
Nike	2000–present

Croatia supporters at UEFA Euro 2012

The team has developed an extensive fan base since its formation in 1991.[162] Following their run at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, there was a rise in domestic and global attention for the side. Balkan Insight commented that the national team became a symbol of Croatian independence from Yugoslavia.[163] After the death of former President Franjo Tuđman, local political ties with the national team have loosened. All matches are followed and televised throughout the country, particularly during tournament.[164]

A part of the team's support base consists of fans of Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb, the two best-supported clubs in the Croatian domestic league, the Prva HNL.[165] Both sets of fans Bad Blue Boys of Zagreb and Torcida from Split—have been associated with hooliganism due to their ultra-style support,[166][167] though violence between them does not occur at international matches. Other ultras groups are Armada Rijeka, Kohorta Osijek, Ultras Vinkovci, Tornado Zadar, Funcuti Šibenik and Demoni Pula. Support for the team also comes from Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly from fans of Zrinjski Mostar and Široki Brijeg.[168] There are also Croatian communities in Australia, North America and South America that follow the team.[169][170]

Among supporters, it is customary to include an inscription of their city of origin onto the Croatian flag to indicate where they are from. They are also notable for their vocal support and orchestrated chants during matches. One section may shout "U boj, u boj" (To Battle, to Battle) with another responding "Za narod svoj" (For Our People) which is a Croatian patriotic song. When the team wins, supporters might chant "Bježite ljudi, bježite iz grada" (Run Away People, Run Away From the City) which is a song praising the presence of euphoric Croatian fans.[171] The Croatian Football Federation endorses an official fan club for the team, known as Uvijek Vjerni (Always Faithful).[172]

The team receives support from various local musicians, who release tracks dedicated to them. Former manager Slaven Bilić and his rock band released a single, "Vatreno ludilo" (Fiery Madness), which reached the top position on the Croatian music charts during Euro 2008.[173][174] Other Croatian artists such as Baruni, Connect, Dino Dvornik, Gibonni, Prljavo Kazalište, Colonia, Stoka, Nered and Thompson have also recorded songs mentioning the team. Some of those having been used among supporters are "Moja domovina" (My Homeland), "Srce vatreno" (Fiery Heart), "Hrvatska je prvak svijeta" (Croatia Are World Champions) and "Malo nas je, al' nas ima" (We Are Few, But We Exist). Most popular among the fans and played at every home match is "Lijepa li si" (How Beautiful You Are) by Thompson and fans sing it themselves during the match. Bad Blue Boys supporters from Zaprešić made their band Zaprešić Boys and made some songs for each tournament like "Samo je jedno" (Only One Thing), "U pobjedi i porazu" (In Victory and Defeat) "Neopisivo" (Undescribable), "Igraj moja Hrvatska" (Play, My Croatia), with the latter being an unofficial anthem for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The players and fans adopt other patriotic songs to celebrate victories as well.

Croatian supporters have used flares to celebrate the team's victories, though the use of pyrotechnics has become increasingly controversial due to sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA.

Fans' behaviour at international games has led to various sanctions against the national side, despite due efforts by the HNS, Croatian government and players to prevent unwanted incidents. The team has been penalized for multiple acts of racist behaviour by its fans including racial abuse towards English striker Emile Heskey in 2010, racial chants at a home game against Norway in 2015 and the carving of a swastika into the pitch at a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy that same year (to which no fans were allowed, as penalty for the infraction against Norway).[175] The 12 October 2018 UEFA Nations League game against England was played in Croatia, also without fans.[176] (This penalty is referred to as a "ghost game" which is played by the teams but which has no audience.)[177][178] There have also been reports of clashes involving Croatian fans at various tournament, leading to further sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA.[179][180]

There are fears of particular violence during matches against Serbia, such as the politically fuelled football riot following the 1990 parliamentary election.[181] This has led to extra security measures being imposed for these matches and general restrictions on traveling fans. There have also been multiple acts of protest against the national team, in response to allegations of corruption within the Croatian Football Federation, and other fan disturbances.[182] Croatia's Euro 2016 qualifying fixture against Italy in Milan was interrupted due to flares being thrown onto the field by a section of attendants, which also occurred at a European Championship match against Czech Republic.[183][184]

The following table provides a summary of the complete record of each Croatia manager including their results regarding World Cup and European Championship.

Manager	Period	Pld	W	D	L	Win %	Major competitions
Jozo Jakopić	1939–1941	4	2	1	1	050.00
Rudolf Hitrec	1941	1	0	0	1	000.00
Bogdan Cuvaj	1941–1943	13	6	3	4	046.15
Bernard Hügl	1943–1945	1	1	0	0	100.00
Bogdan Cuvaj	1956	1	1	0	0	100.00
Dražan Jerković	1990–1991	3	3	0	0	100.00
Stanko Poklepović	1992	4	1	1	2	025.00
Vlatko Marković	1993–1994	1	1	0	0	100.00
Miroslav Blažević	1994–2000	72	33	24	15	045.83	1996 European Championship – Quarter-finals 1998 World Cup – Third place 2000 European Championship – Failed to qualify
Tomislav Ivić (c)[lower-alpha 1]	1994	1	1	0	0	100.00
Mirko Jozić	2000–2002	18	9	6	3	050.00	2002 World Cup – Group stage
Otto Barić	2002–2004	24	11	8	5	045.83	2004 European Championship – Group stage
Zlatko Kranjčar	2004–2006	25	11	8	6	044.00	2006 World Cup – Group stage
Slaven Bilić	2006–2012	65	42	15	8	064.62	2008 European Championship – Quarter-finals 2010 World Cup – Failed to qualify 2012 European Championship – Group stage
Igor Štimac	2012–2013	15	8	2	5	053.33
Niko Kovač	2013–2015	19	10	5	4	052.63	2014 World Cup – Group stage
Ante Čačić	2015–2017	25	15	6	4	060.00	2016 European Championship – Round of 16
Zlatko Dalić	2017–	62	31	14	17	050.00	2018 World Cup – Runners-up 2020 European Championship – Round of 16 2022 World Cup – To be determined
Total		354	186	93	75	52.54%	12 out of 14

Last updated: Austria vs. Croatia, 25 September 2022. Source: Croatian Football Federation

The following is the preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[206]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Dominik Livaković	(1995-01-09) 9 January 1995	33	0	Dinamo Zagreb
	1GK	Ivica Ivušić	(1995-02-01) 1 February 1995	5	0	Osijek
	1GK	Ivo Grbić	(1996-01-18) 18 January 1996	2	0	Atlético Madrid
	1GK	Dominik Kotarski	(2000-02-10) 10 February 2000	0	0	PAOK
	1GK	Nediljko Labrović	(1999-10-10) 10 October 1999	0	0	Rijeka
	2DF	Domagoj Vida (vice-captain)	(1989-04-29) 29 April 1989	99	4	AEK Athens
	2DF	Dejan Lovren	(1989-07-05) 5 July 1989	71	5	Zenit Saint Petersburg
	2DF	Borna Barišić	(1992-11-10) 10 November 1992	27	1	Rangers
	2DF	Duje Ćaleta-Car	(1996-09-17) 17 September 1996	23	1	Southampton
	2DF	Josip Juranović	(1995-08-16) 16 August 1995	21	0	Celtic
	2DF	Joško Gvardiol	(2002-01-23) 23 January 2002	12	1	RB Leipzig
	2DF	Borna Sosa	(1998-01-21) 21 January 1998	8	1	VfB Stuttgart
	2DF	Josip Stanišić	(2000-04-02) 2 April 2000	6	0	Bayern Munich
	2DF	Marin Pongračić	(1997-09-11) 11 September 1997	5	0	Lecce
	2DF	Martin Erlić	(1998-01-24) 24 January 1998	3	0	Sassuolo
	2DF	Josip Šutalo	(2000-02-28) 28 February 2000	3	0	Dinamo Zagreb
	3MF	Luka Modrić (captain)	(1985-09-09) 9 September 1985	154	23	Real Madrid
	3MF	Mateo Kovačić	(1994-05-06) 6 May 1994	83	3	Chelsea
	3MF	Marcelo Brozović	(1992-11-16) 16 November 1992	76	7	Internazionale
	3MF	Mario Pašalić	(1995-02-09) 9 February 1995	42	7	Atalanta
	3MF	Nikola Vlašić	(1997-10-04) 4 October 1997	41	7	Torino
	3MF	Luka Ivanušec	(1998-11-26) 26 November 1998	11	1	Dinamo Zagreb
	3MF	Lovro Majer	(1998-01-17) 17 January 1998	10	3	Rennes
	3MF	Kristijan Jakić	(1997-05-14) 14 May 1997	4	0	Eintracht Frankfurt
	3MF	Luka Sučić	(2002-09-08) 8 September 2002	3	0	Red Bull Salzburg
	3MF	Josip Mišić	(1994-06-28) 28 June 1994	2	0	Dinamo Zagreb
	4FW	Ivan Perišić	(1989-02-02) 2 February 1989	115	32	Tottenham Hotspur
	4FW	Andrej Kramarić	(1991-06-19) 19 June 1991	73	19	1899 Hoffenheim
	4FW	Josip Brekalo	(1998-06-23) 23 June 1998	33	4	VfL Wolfsburg
	4FW	Bruno Petković	(1994-09-16) 16 September 1994	22	6	Dinamo Zagreb
	4FW	Mislav Oršić	(1992-12-29) 29 December 1992	20	1	Dinamo Zagreb
	4FW	Ante Budimir	(1991-07-22) 22 July 1991	15	1	Osasuna
	4FW	Marko Livaja	(1993-08-26) 26 August 1993	14	3	Hajduk Split
	4FW	Antonio Mirko Čolak	(1993-09-17) 17 September 1993	3	0	Rangers

The following players have also been called up to the squad in the last 12 months and are still eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Lovre Kalinić INJ	(1990-04-03) 3 April 1990	19	0	Hajduk Split	v.  Austria, 25 September 2022
GK	Simon Sluga	(1993-03-17) 17 March 1993	3	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Russia, 14 November 2021
DF	Šime Vrsaljko RET	(1992-01-10) 10 January 1992	52	0	Olympiacos	v.  France, 13 June 2022
DF	Mile Škorić	(1991-06-19) 19 June 1991	7	0	Osijek	v.  Bulgaria, 29 March 2022
MF	Nikola Moro	(1998-03-12) 12 March 1998	1	0	Bologna	v.  Bulgaria, 29 March 2022
FW	Petar Musa	(1998-03-04) 4 March 1998	0	0	Benfica	v.  Austria, 3 June 2022
INJ = Injured or ill. WD = Withdrew. SUS = Suspended from participating. RET = Retired after latest call-up. U21 = Joined the Croatia U21 team instead. PRE = Preliminary squad.

Luka Modrić, Croatia's captain and most capped player

Dario Šimić was Croatia's first player to reach 100 appearances, doing so before his retirement in 2008. This allowed him to surpass Robert Jarni's previous record of 81 appearances.[210][211][212] On 6 February 2013, captain Darijo Srna, Josip Šimunić and Stipe Pletikosa each also played their 100th cap for Croatia in a 4–0 friendly victory over South Korea in London. The trio went on to set a new joint-record of 101 appearances for the national team in March 2013 in a World Cup qualifying victory against Serbia in Zagreb. Srna eventually surpassed his teammates and accrued a total of 134 international caps for Croatia before retiring in 2016; he was surpassed by Luka Modrić in 2021. Alen Halilović is the youngest player to represent the team, making his senior debut in June 2013 aged 16 years, 11 months and 22 days.[213] The team's oldest player is Dražen Ladić who played his last match in May 2000 aged 37 years, 4 months and 27 days.[214]

Davor Šuker. Croatia's top goalscorer

The team's youngest goalscorer is Luka Ivanušec who scored his debut goal on 14 January 2017 aged 18 years, one month and 19 days.[215] With 45 goals scored, Davor Šuker is the team's highest-scoring player.[32]

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1934
1938
1950	Part of  Yugoslavia
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994	Not a FIFA member
1998	Third place	3rd	7	5	0	2	11	5	Squad		2nd	10	5	4	1	20	13
2002	Group stage	23rd	3	1	0	2	2	3	Squad		1st	8	5	3	0	15	2
2006		22nd	3	0	2	1	2	3	Squad		1st	10	7	3	0	21	5
2010	Did not qualify										3rd	10	6	2	2	19	13
2014	Group stage	19th	3	1	0	2	6	6	Squad		2nd	12	6	3	3	14	9
2018	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	2	1	14	9	Squad		2nd	12	7	3	2	19	5
2022	Qualified								Squad		1st	10	7	2	1	21	4
2026	To be determined										To be determined
Total	Runners-up	6/7	23	11	4	8	35	26	—		6/7	72	43	20	9	129	51

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 14 November 2021 after the match against  Russia.

FIFA World Cup history
First match	Croatia 3–1 Jamaica  (Lens, France; 14 June 1998)
Biggest win	Croatia 4–0 Cameroon  (Manaus, Brazil; 18 June 2014)
Biggest defeat	Brazil 3–1 Croatia  (São Paulo, Brazil; 12 June 2014)
	Mexico 3–1 Croatia  (Recife, Brazil; 23 June 2014)
	France 4–2 Croatia  (Moscow, Russia; 15 July 2018)
Best result	Runners-up in 2018
Worst result	Group stage in 2002, 2006, 2014

UEFA European Championship record											Qualifying record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Part of  Yugoslavia
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	0	2	5	5	Squad		1st	10	7	2	1	22	5
2000	Did not qualify										3rd	8	4	3	1	13	9
2004	Group stage	13th	3	0	2	1	4	6	Squad		2nd	10	6	2	2	14	5
2008	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	1	0	5	2	Squad		1st	12	9	2	1	28	8
2012	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	4	3	Squad		2nd	12	8	2	2	21	7
2016	Round of 16	9th	4	2	1	1	5	4	Squad		2nd	10	6	3	1	20	5
2020	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	7	8	Squad		1st	8	5	2	1	17	7
2024	To be determined										TBD	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	6/7	22	9	6	7	30	28	—		6/7	70	45	16	9	135	46

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 28 June 2021 after the match against  Spain.

UEFA European Championship history
First match	Croatia 1–0 Turkey  (Nottingham, England; 11 June 1996)
Biggest win	Croatia 3–0 Denmark  (Sheffield, England; 16 June 1996)
Biggest defeat	Portugal 3–0 Croatia  (Nottingham, England; 19 June 1996)
Best result	Quarter-finals in 1996, 2008
Worst result	Group stage in 2004, 2012

UEFA Nations League record													Finals record
Season	LG	GP	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2018–19	A	4	3rd	4	1	1	2	4	10		9th		2019	Did not qualify
2020–21	A	3	3rd	6	1	0	5	9	16		12th		2021
2022–23	A	1	1st	6	4	1	1	8	6				2023	Qualified
2024–25	A	To be determined											2025	To be determined
Total				16	6	2	8	21	32	1st–4th			Total	1/3	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 25 September 2022 after the match against  Austria.

UEFA Nations League history
First match	Spain 6–0 Croatia  (Elche, Spain; 11 September 2018)
Biggest win	Austria 1–3 Croatia  (Vienna, Austria; 25 September 2022)
Biggest defeat	Spain 6–0 Croatia  (Elche, Spain; 11 September 2018)
Best result	1st–4th place in 2022–23
Worst result	12th place in 2020–21

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1996 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament	Champions	1st	2	0	2	0	3	3
1997 Kirin Cup	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	1	1	4	5
1999 Korea Cup	Champions	1st	3	1	2	0	5	4
2006 Lunar New Year Cup	Third place	3rd	2	1	0	1	4	2
2017 China Cup	Fourth place	4th	2	0	2	0	2	2
Total	2 Title	5/5	11	2	7	2	18	16

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 14 January 2017 after the match against  China.