Croatia has secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending its remarkable streak of consecutive qualifications and reaffirming its status as a consistent force in global football.
This will be Croatia’s seventh appearance in the tournament and their fourth in a row, building on a history of strong performances on the global stage. The team previously reached the final in 2018, finishing as runner-up to France, and secured a third-place finish at the most recent World Cup in Qatar in 2022. They also took third place in 1998.
Croatia clinched qualification by winning Group L of the European qualifiers, triumphing 3-1 over the Faroe Islands. They overcame an early deficit after Geza Turi scored for the Faroe Islands in the 16th minute.
Goals from Gvardiol in the 23rd minute, former Benfica player Petar Musa in the 57th, and Vlasic in the 70th minute sealed the victory.
Croatia concluded the qualifying group with 19 points. The Czech Republic secured second place with 13 points and has already qualified for the playoffs.
Led by veteran captain Luka Modric and coached by Zlatko Dalic, Croatia is the 27th team to qualify for the 23rd edition of the World Cup. The tournament is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The host nations are the United States, Mexico, and Canada.