Croatia

Croatia enter World Cup 2026 in Group L, where the early tests are England, Ghana, and Panama. Croatia have never won the World Cup, but their modern record is outstanding: runners-up in 2018 and third place in both 1998 and 2022. They remain tournament specialists. The current squad is shaped around Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Josko Gvardiol, a core that gives the team recognizable quality in the moments that usually decide group-stage matches: set pieces, transition attacks, and pressure around the box.

For this tournament, the assignment is both tactical and psychological: start quickly, protect the middle of the pitch, and make the group feel uncomfortable before the knockout picture forms. The midfield intelligence is still the calling card, with Gvardiol adding defensive authority. Croatia may not overwhelm teams, but they rarely give opponents a comfortable match. If Croatia can turn its best individual stretches into a full 90-minute platform, the campaign has room to grow beyond a simple participation story.