Croatia vs Spain: A Split Rematch After Rijeka
Croatia meet Spain at Stadion Poljud in Split on Tuesday 6 October at 18:45 UTC / 20:45 CEST, in Matchday 4 of the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 (…)
Croatia’s senior men’s national team combines a distinctive red-and-white identity with a record of sustained excellence on the international stage. Known as the Vatreni, the selection emerged as a major force after independence, reaching the World Cup podium in 1998, 2018 and 2022. Its page brings together the latest recorded squad, coaching chronology, competition history and the cultural setting of Croatian football, including regional venues, federation stewardship and the pathway linking established internationals with the country’s productive youth system.
Xtra rating
1628
Conservative: 969
Rank national
25
Updated: 6 October 2026
Croatia Upcoming matches by league
UEFA Nations League
-
- 5
EnglandNo H2HCroatia
-
- 6
CroatiaNo H2HCzech Republic
Croatia Last matches by league
UEFA Nations League
-
- League A - 4
Croatia1 - 2Spain
Stadion Poljud -
- League A - 3
Croatia0 - 7England
Stadion HNK Rijeka
World Cup
Friendlies
World Cup - Qualification Europe
Euro Championship
Croatia Team Roster
Croatia’s recorded senior squad contains 26 players: three goalkeepers, seven defenders, eleven midfielders and five attackers. The group combines established internationals with younger options. L. Modrić and M. Kovačić anchor midfield, while A. Kramaric, Marco Pasalic and Mario Pasalic offer attacking variety. J. Gvardiol, J. Sutalo, D. Caleta-Car and I. Perisic form part of the defensive group, with D. Livakovic, D. Kotarski and I. Pandur listed in goal. Up front, A. Budimir, I. Matanovic, P. Musa and P. Sucic are among the named attackers, while L. Sucic, J. Stanisic, N. Moro and T. Fruk add midfield options.
position Goalkeeper
position Defender
2
Josip Stanišić
DEF
Germany
3
Marin Pongračić
DEF
Germany
3
Ivan Smolčić
DEF
Croatia
4
Joško Gvardiol
DEF
Croatia
5
Luka Vušković
DEF
Croatia
6
Josip Šutalo
DEF
Croatia
position Midfielder
7
Lovro Majer
MID
Croatia
7
Franjo Ivanović
MID
Croatia
8
Mateo Kovačić
MID
Austria
10
Luka Modrić
MID
Croatia
13
Nikola Vlašić
MID
Croatia
14
Ivan Perišić
MID
Croatia
15
Mario Pasalic
MID
Germany
17
Petar Sučić
MID
Bosnia-Herzegovina
18
Kristijan Jakić
MID
Croatia
21
Luka Sučić
MID
Austria
22
Josip Mišić
MID
Croatia
position Attacker
7
Dion Drena Beljo
FWD
Croatia
9
Andrej Kramarić
FWD
Croatia
11
Ante Budimir
FWD
Bosnia and Herzegovina
19
Marco Pašalić
FWD
Germany
20
Igor Matanović
FWD
Germany
Last Croatia Coachs
Zlatko Dalić is Croatia’s current head coach, having started the role on 1 October 2017. His tenure follows Ante Čačić, who led the team from September 2015 to October 2017, and Niko Kovač, in charge from October 2013 to September 2015. Igor Štimac served between June 2012 and October 2013, while Slaven Bilić’s earlier tenure ran from July 2006 to June 2012. The sequence reflects a continuous senior-team coaching record.
Zlatko Dalić
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coach since
1 October 2017
Coach until
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zlatko Dalić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 October 2017 | |
| Ante Čačić | Croatia | 1 September 2015 | 1 October 2017 |
| Niko Kovač | Germany | 1 October 2013 | 1 September 2015 |
| Igor Štimac | Croatia | 1 June 2012 | 1 October 2013 |
| Slaven Bilić | Croatia | 1 July 2006 | 1 June 2012 |
| Miroslav Blažević | Yugoslavia | 1 March 1994 | 1 October 2000 |
Croatia Transfers
Croatia does not add players through club-style transfers. National-team additions take place through eligibility, selection and call-ups for a particular international window, with previously available players returning when chosen. The recorded 26-player squad therefore represents a selection snapshot rather than a signing list. No individual arrival, transfer, loan or fee is identified for this national selection, and the absence of an arrivals list does not indicate that no players entered the wider selection cycle. Club registration remains separate from international availability.
No transfers in
Departures from Croatia’s national team are selection events, not sales or loans. Players may be omitted from a squad, withdraw from a camp, become unavailable or return to their clubs after an international window, while their club registration remains unchanged. No specific omission or withdrawal is identified in the available information, so this section does not assign an individual departure. The latest 26-player roster is a snapshot of those selected at that date, not a complete account of every player outside the squad.
No transfers out
Transfers Synthesis
Croatia’s movement cycle is governed by international selection rather than the transfer market. Players become available through eligibility and call-ups, are added to a squad for a defined window, and may return to selection when form, fitness and the coach’s plans permit. Withdrawals, omissions and returns to clubs are likewise part of the national-team calendar, not permanent departures. The recorded 26-player group provides a selection snapshot, while no individual arrivals or departures are identified. That limitation means the visible movement picture cannot be treated as a full list of changes between camps. It instead shows how a national selection is refreshed around fixtures and tournaments, with club employment continuing separately from international duty. The process connects established senior players with emerging eligible talent without implying a signing, sale, loan or financial exchange.
Leagues Croatia has participated in
Croatia’s recorded competition history spans the World Cup, Euro Championship, UEFA Nations League, European qualifying, friendlies and the China Cup. World Cup participation is recorded from 2014 through 2026 and is the only entry marked recently active in the available record. Euro Championship records span 2008 to 2024. UEFA Nations League and friendly records run from 2018 and 2017 respectively through 2024. European World Cup qualifying is recorded from 2018 to 2024, while Euro qualifying appears for 2023. The China Cup entry is historical and covers 2017.
More about Croatia
Croatia is the senior men’s national football team of Croatia, founded in 1912. The side is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, known as HNS, and operates within UEFA and FIFA’s international framework. In English it is commonly called the Croatia national football team; the nicknames Vatreni and Kockasti reflect its fiery reputation and red-and-white checkerboard identity. The šahovnica crest and home colours connect the team to the national coat of arms and flag, making visual symbolism central to its public identity.
Modern international continuity took shape after Croatia’s independence in the early 1990s, followed by FIFA and UEFA recognition in 1993. The breakthrough came at the 1998 World Cup in France, where the debutants finished third and Davor Šuker won the Golden Boot. Croatia reached a higher peak in Russia in 2018 by finishing as World Cup runners-up, then secured another third-place finish in Qatar in 2022. These results established a distinctive tournament tradition built on resilience and consistency across generations.
The national side has no single permanent home. Senior fixtures rotate among major regional grounds, including Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, Stadion Poljud in Split, Stadion Gradski vrt and Opus Arena in Osijek, and Rujevica in Rijeka. Support is notably intense, with flare displays, sustained singing and substantial diaspora attendance adding a travelling dimension to international matches. Regional rivalries, particularly with Serbia and Italy, form part of the team’s broader football context.
Croatia’s senior programme is connected to a youth pathway running from the under-21 level down to under-17, with domestic academies such as Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split helping develop future internationals. Senior tournament records remain distinct from youth histories, while the federation-led ecosystem continually links emerging players to the demands of the A-squad.
Last matches statistics for Croatia
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Croatia
0 - 2
Belgium
|
1 / 5 |
|
87 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
|
Croatia
2 - 1
Slovenia
|
6 / 22 |
|
89 | 5 | - | 3 |
|
England
4 - 2
Croatia
|
5 / 10 |
|
86 | 12 | - | 7 |
|
Panama
0 - 1
Croatia
|
2 / 6 |
|
84 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
|
Croatia
2 - 1
Ghana
|
4 / 8 |
|
91 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
|
Portugal
2 - 1
Croatia
|
6 / 13 |
|
85 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
|
Czech Republic
1 - 2
Croatia
|
5 / 16 |
|
0% | 9 | 1 | 1 |
|
Spain
4 - 1
Croatia
|
2 / 5 |
|
0% | 10 | 4 | 3 |
|
Croatia
0 - 7
England
|
1 / 12 |
|
0% | 10 | 1 | 3 |
|
Croatia
1 - 2
Spain
|
5 / 10 |
|
0% | 12 | 1 1 | 1 |
Detailed statistics Croatia
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).
shots Croatia
Warnings Croatia
Passes Croatia
Goalkeeper saves Croatia
Latest start lineups Croatia (XI)
Croatia vs Spain
UEFA Nations League 2026 - 1528952
Croatia vs England
UEFA Nations League 2026 - 1528933
Spain vs Croatia
UEFA Nations League 2026 - 1528909
Czechia vs Croatia
UEFA Nations League 2026 - 1528892
Portugal vs Croatia
World Cup 2026 - 1567309
Croatia vs Ghana
World Cup 2026 - 1489420
2024
1st shirt
2024
2nd shirt
2021
1st shirt
2021
2nd shirt
2021
4th shirt
2018-2019
1st shirt
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