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Croatia
UEFA · L2 · Pot 2
Second favouritesGroup L fixtures
Key players to watch
Luka Modrić
MF · AC Milan · C
Captain, record cap-holder and 2018 Golden Ball winner, at a record sixth World Cup aged 40. Still the heartbeat and deep-lying playmaker.
Captain · maestro
Mateo Kovačić
MF · Manchester City
Press-resistant, ball-carrying midfielder who glides through traffic; a key partner to Modrić in the engine room.
Midfield glue
Joško Gvardiol
CB · Manchester City
Elite, athletic defender (recovered from a broken shin) who can play centre-back or left-back; the defensive cornerstone.
Defensive cornerstone
Ivan Perišić
FW · PSV
Veteran wide forward who has scored in each of the last three World Cups; big-game experience and aerial threat.
Wide veteran
Andrej Kramarić
FW · Hoffenheim
Experienced, clever forward and reliable finisher; one of four centurions in the squad.
Forward · finisher
Petar Sučić
MF · Inter
Promising young midfielder representing the next generation around the veteran core.
Rising midfielder
Goals & output
Goals are spread around — Perišić, Kramarić, Ante Budimir and Petar Musa up top, with Modrić and Kovačić creating. Not explosive, but patient and technical, grinding teams down.
Set-piece duties
Penalties
Andrej Kramarić
Free kicks
Luka Modrić
Corners
Luka Modrić
Modrić remains an elite free-kick and corner deliverer, with Kramarić among the penalty options. Set pieces, allied to that midfield control, are a recurring source of goals.
Discipline read
▲Disciplined and game-savvy; a side that controls tempo and rarely loses its head, even in tight knockouts.
Recent form
A seventh World Cup for perennial overachievers who have reached the semi-finals in half their appearances — third in 1998, runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022. Zlatko Dalić's technical, midfield-driven side topped their UEFA qualifying group (seven wins and a draw). This is surely the last dance for the golden generation around the evergreen Modrić.
Head-to-head history
v England (17 Jun)
Won 2-1 (aet), 2018 WC SF
Croatia knocked England out of the 2018 semi-final in extra time; the rematch opens the group in Dallas.
v Panama (24 Jun)
No prior meetings
A first meeting; Croatia would be favourites in Toronto.
v Ghana (27 Jun)
No prior meetings
A first meeting and a potentially decisive final-day game in Philadelphia.
Underdog & betting read
The verdict
Strong second favourites and dangerous in knockout football, where their experience and midfield control tell. Age is a question over a long tournament, but few sides manage games better. Live to qualify and spring a surprise.