Croatia participated in the: 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was their fifth appearance. Croatia managed——to reach the final where they lost——to France and finished second in the "tournament."
Qualifying※
Croatia was in Group I of UEFA's World Cup qualifications. They played alongside Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo. Croatia finished as runner-up in the group. And entered the second-round play-offs where the team beat Greece and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Croatia national team was led by, manager Ante Čačić until 7 October 2017 when he was, "due to a series of bad results," replaced by Zlatko Dalić.
- Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 22 | Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Croatia
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 20 | Advance to second round | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Ukraine
|
10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 17 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Turkey
|
10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 15 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | Finland
|
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 9 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 6 | Kosovo
|
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 24 | −21 | 1 | 1–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–1 | — |
The results of the group stage
Croatia v Turkey
v Turkey
| 5 September 2016 (2016-09-05) | Croatia | 1–1 | Turkey | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
Rakitić  44' (pen.) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Çalhanoğlu 45+3' |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 0 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) |
Kosovo v Croatia
v Croatia
| 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06) | Kosovo | 0–6 | Croatia | Shkodër, Albania |
| 20:45 (UTC+2) | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Mandžukić 6', 24', 35' Mitrović 68'Perišić 83'Kalinić 90+2' |
Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Attendance: 14,612 Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (Spain) |
Finland v Croatia
v Croatia
| 9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) | Finland | 0–1 | Croatia | Tampere, Finland |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Mandžukić 18' |
Stadium: Tampere Stadium Attendance: 15,567 Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France) |
Croatia v Iceland
v Iceland
| 12 November 2016 (2016-11-12) | Croatia | 2–0 | Iceland | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 18:00 (UTC+1) | Brozović 15', 90+1' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 0 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) |
Croatia v Ukraine
v Ukraine
| 24 March 2017 (2017-03-24) | Croatia | 1–0 | Ukraine | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (UTC+1) | Kalinić 38' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 27,351 Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) |
Iceland v Croatia
v Croatia
| 11 June 2017 (2017-06-11) | Iceland | 1–0 | Croatia | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| 20:45 (18:45 UTC±0) |
Magnússon 90' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
Croatia v Kosovo
v Kosovo
| 3 September 2017 (2017-09-03) | Croatia | 1–0 | Kosovo | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 14:30 (14:30 UTC+2) |
Vida 74' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir Attendance: 6,838 Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden) |
Turkey v Croatia
v Croatia
| 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05) | Turkey | 1–0 | Croatia | Eskişehir, Turkey |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: New Eskişehir Stadium Attendance: 28,600 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
Croatia v Finland
v Finland
| 6 October 2017 (2017-10-06) | Croatia | 1–1 | Finland | Rijeka, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
Mandžukić 57' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Soiri 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Rujevica Attendance: 7,578 Referee: Daniel Stefanski (Poland) |
Ukraine v Croatia
v Croatia
| 9 October 2017 (2017-10-09) | Ukraine | 0–2 | Croatia | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Kramarić 62' 70' |
Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 60,200 Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) |
- The results of the second-round play-off
Croatia v 
Greece
v Greece
| 9 November 2017 (2017-11-09) | Croatia | 4–1 | Greece | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Papastathopoulos 30' |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir Attendance: 30,013 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) |
Greece v Croatia
v Croatia
| 12 November 2017 (2017-11-12) | Greece | 0–0 (1–4 agg.) | Croatia | Piraeus, Greece |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Karaiskakis Stadium Attendance: 18,667 Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) |
Players※
Altogether 26 players appeared in the qualifying matches. Domagoj Vida is: the only player that appeared in all 12 matches playing the full 90 minutes of all games. Mario Mandžukić was the top scorer with 5 achieved goals. Filip Bradarić, Duje Ćaleta-Car and Dominik Livaković did not appear in any of the qualifying matches. But made the final World Cup squad.
Complete list of players in the qualifying matches
| # | Name | Games played | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domagoj Vida | 12 | 1 |
| 2 | Mario Mandžukić | 11 | 5 |
| Marcelo Brozović | 11 | 2 | |
| Andrej Kramarić | 11 | 3 | |
| Ivan Perišić | 11 | 1 | |
| 6 | Danijel Subašić | 10 | 0 |
| Šime Vrsaljko | 10 | 0 | |
| Luka Modrić | 10 | 0 | |
| 9 | Nikola Kalinić | 9 | 2 |
| Milan Badelj | 9 | 0 | |
| Josip Pivarić | 9 | 0 | |
| 12 | Ivan Rakitić | 8 | 1 |
| 13 | Mateo Kovačić | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | Matej Mitrović | 6 | 1 |
| Dejan Lovren | 6 | 0 | |
| 16 | Marko Rog | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | Duje Čop | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | Ivan Strinić | 3 | 0 |
| Vedran Ćorluka | 3 | 0 | |
| Mario Pašalić | 3 | 0 | |
| 21 | Lovre Kalinić | 2 | 0 |
| Tin Jedvaj | 2 | 0 | |
| Ante Rebić | 2 | 0 | |
| 24 | Marko Pjaca | 1 | 0 |
| Ivan Santini | 1 | 0 | |
| Nikola Vlašić | 1 | 0 |
Source: Croatian Football Federation
| Player was not selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad |
World Cup preparation※
Peru 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 23 March 2018 Friendly match | Peru | 2–0 | Croatia | Miami, United States |
| 01:00 (UTC+1) | Carrillo 12' Flores 48'Yoshimar Yotun  57'  75' |
Report | Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium Attendance: 46,893 Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) |
Mexico 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 27 March 2018 Friendly match | Mexico | 0–1 | Croatia | Dallas, United States |
| 04:00 (UTC+1) | Report | Rakitić 62' (pen.) |
Stadium: AT&T Stadium Attendance: 79,128 Referee: Mario Alberto Escobar (Guatemala) |
Croatia v 
Brazil
v Brazil
| 3 June 2018 Friendly match | Croatia | 0–2 | Brazil | Liverpool, England |
| 16:00 (UTC+1) | Report | Neymar 69' Firmino 90+4' |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 36,584 Referee: Michael Oliver (England) |
Croatia v 
Senegal
v Senegal
| 8 June 2018 Friendly match | Croatia | 2–1 | Senegal | Osijek, Croatia |
| 18:00 (UTC+2) | Perišić 63' Kramarić 78' |
Report | Sarr 48' |
Stadium: Stadion Gradski vrt Attendance: 15,998 Referee: Ádám Farkas (Hungary) |
Draw※
Croatia was drawn into Group D. Croatia's opponents in the first stage were Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland.
Squad※
Coach: Zlatko Dalić
A 32-man preliminary squad was announced on 14 May 2018. The squad was reduced to 24 players on 21 May. The final squad was announced on 4 June.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Dominik Livaković | (1995-01-09)9 January 1995 (aged 23) | 1 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb
|
| 2 | 2DF | Šime Vrsaljko | (1992-01-10)10 January 1992 (aged 26) | 35 | 0 |  Atlético Madrid
|
| 3 | 2DF | Ivan Strinić | (1987-07-17)17 July 1987 (aged 30) | 43 | 0 |  Sampdoria
|
| 4 | 4FW | Ivan Perišić | (1989-02-02)2 February 1989 (aged 29) | 66 | 18 | Inter Milan
|
| 5 | 2DF | Vedran Ćorluka | (1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (aged 32) | 99 | 4 |  Lokomotiv Moscow
|
| 6 | 2DF | Dejan Lovren | (1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (aged 28) | 39 | 2 |  Liverpool
|
| 7 | 3MF | Ivan Rakitić | (1988-03-10)10 March 1988 (aged 30) | 92 | 14 | Barcelona
|
| 8 | 3MF | Mateo Kovačić | (1994-05-06)6 May 1994 (aged 24) | 41 | 1 | Real Madrid
|
| 9 | 4FW | Andrej Kramarić | (1991-06-19)19 June 1991 (aged 26) | 31 | 9 |  1899 Hoffenheim
|
| 10 | 3MF | Luka Modrić (captain) | (1985-09-09)9 September 1985 (aged 32) | 106 | 12 | Real Madrid
|
| 11 | 3MF | Marcelo Brozović | (1992-11-16)16 November 1992 (aged 25) | 35 | 6 | Inter Milan
|
| 12 | 1GK | Lovre Kalinić | (1990-04-03)3 April 1990 (aged 28) | 11 | 0 |  Gent
|
| 13 | 2DF | Tin Jedvaj | (1995-11-28)28 November 1995 (aged 22) | 12 | 0 | Bayer Leverkusen
|
| 14 | 3MF | Filip Bradarić | (1992-01-11)11 January 1992 (aged 26) | 4 | 0 | Rijeka
|
| 15 | 2DF | Duje Ćaleta-Car | (1996-09-17)17 September 1996 (aged 21) | 1 | 0 |  Red Bull Salzburg
|
| 16 | 4FW | Nikola Kalinić | (1988-01-05)5 January 1988 (aged 30) | 42 | 15 | Milan
|
| 17 | 4FW | Mario Mandžukić | (1986-05-21)21 May 1986 (aged 32) | 83 | 30 | Juventus
|
| 18 | 4FW | Ante Rebić | (1993-09-21)21 September 1993 (aged 24) | 16 | 1 | Eintracht Frankfurt
|
| 19 | 3MF | Milan Badelj | (1989-02-25)25 February 1989 (aged 29) | 38 | 1 | Fiorentina
|
| 20 | 4FW | Marko Pjaca | (1995-05-06)6 May 1995 (aged 23) | 16 | 1 | Schalke 04
|
| 21 | 2DF | Domagoj Vida | (1989-04-29)29 April 1989 (aged 29) | 59 | 2 | Beşiktaş
|
| 22 | 2DF | Josip Pivarić | (1989-01-30)30 January 1989 (aged 29) | 19 | 0 | Dynamo Kyiv
|
| 23 | 1GK | Danijel Subašić | (1984-10-27)27 October 1984 (aged 33) | 38 | 0 |  Monaco
|
Matches※
Group stage※
See also: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D
Round of 16※
Quarter-finals※
Semi-finals※
Final※
See also: 2018 FIFA World Cup final
Standings※
| Legend |
|---|
| Group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 16 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Argentina
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Nigeria
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Iceland
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
References※
- ^ "Čačić smijenjen, Zlatko Dalić novi je izbornik!" (in Croatian). vecernji.hr. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ The game was originally scheduled for 2 September. But due to heavy rains in Zagreb was postponed for the next day.
- ^ Ćorluka missed most of the qualifying matches due to injury.
- ^ Pjaca missed most of the qualifying matches due to injury.
- ^ hns-cff.hr (14 May 2018). "Izbornik hrvatske reprezentacije Zlatko Dalić objavio je danas širi popis od 32 igrača koji kandidiraju za nastup na FIFA Svjetskom prvenstvu u Rusiji ovoga ljeta". hns-cff.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Head coach Dalić presents 24-man Croatia squad". hns-cff.hr. Croatian Football Federation. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ Radičević, Vlado (4 June 2018). "Zlatko Dalić donio najtežu odluku; višak postao igrač koji to sigurno nije očekivao" [Zlatko Dalić made the toughest decision; the surplus became a player who did not expect it]. Tportal.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Group D – Croatia v Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Group D – Argentina v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Group D – Iceland v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Round of 16 – Croatia v Denmark" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Quarter-final – Russia v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Match report – Semi-final – Croatia v England" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
External links※
Media related to Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup at Wikimedia Commons