🇭🇷 Croatia — Country Guide, World Cup 2026

Vatreni

How They Play

Technically gifted in midfield, battle-hardened and tactically disciplined — capable of grinding out results through collective organization and individual brilliance.

Star Player

Luka Modrić

Fun Fact

Croatia reached the World Cup final in 2018 and the third-place match in 2022, both times from a country with a population smaller than Chicago.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

Modrić at 40 is almost certainly playing his final World Cup — the team built around him has overachieved for a decade and will give everything in his honor.