The modern day Croatia national football team was formed in 1991. Before this the national team players competed for Yugoslavia. In 1993 the side had gained both Uefa and Fifa membership. The world cup in 1994 came too early for the side as qualifying was already underway when membership was achieved. Considering the team’s short footballing history they have competed well on the international stage in both world cups and European championships and have only missed out on one since beginning to attempt qualification. Perhaps their most celebrated player is Davor Suker as he still holds the record for the most goals for the national team. He was also the tournament top goal scorer in their first world cup in 1998.

Pre-independence history

Before Croatia became independent the national team players were part of the Yugoslavia national football team. Between 1930 and 1990 the side went to eight world cups including the inaugural one. The side’s best performance came in 1962 when they made it to the semi-final before being beaten by Czechoslovakia. They also lost the third placed playoff to Chile and finished fourth. As well as this they made it to three quarter finals.

World cup history

1998

1998

France

The world cup in 1998 was hosted by France. The competition was also won by them as they defeated Brazil 3-0 in the final to claim the world cup for the first time in their history. The Croatia national football team were drawn alongside world cup heavyweights Argentina in their first ever world cup group, but were safely through before they had to play the South Americans. Two wins from their opening two games against Jamaica and Japan allowed them to lose the final match and progress in second place. In the last 16 a Suker penalty saw them squeeze past Romania 1-0 and on to face Germany in the quarter final. In a closer match than it may seem two late goals saw the Croatia national football team seal a 3-0 win. In the semi-final the run finally came to an end. Despite taking the lead against eventual tournament winners France the side slipped to a 2-1 defeat to move into the third placed play-off. Fittingly a Suker goal was again the difference as he scored the winner in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands to see his team finish third, their best finish to date.

2002

Japan and South Korea

This world cup was a landmark competition as it was the first time the tournament had visited Asia. It was also the first and only time to date that the world cup had been jointly hosted by two countries. Japan and South Korea staged the competition which was won by Brazil for a record fifth time after they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final. After their dream run in their first ever world cup the Croatia national football team came back down to earth in 2002. An opening fixture defeat to Mexico was followed up by a win over Italy. This left them needing to better Italy’s result in their final match to be assured of qualification. As it turned out the side lost to Ecuador and were eliminated in third place.

2006

Germany

The 2006 world cup was the third time that the Croatia national football team qualified for the competition. Held in Germany the tournament was won by fellow Europeans Italy after they beat France on penalties in the final. Croatia were alongside reigning world champions Brazil and lost to them in their first group fixture. A draw against Japan in their second game left them in bad shape but qualification was still in their own hands. A win against Australia would have seen them through. In a strange game where the Croatia national football team led twice, Australia fought back to earn a draw and seal second place in the group. The game was strange because referee Graham Poll forgot he had already booked Croatia’s Simunic, eventually sending the player off after he picked up three yellow cards.

2014

Brazil

The world cup in 2014 was held in Brazil and won by Germany who became the first European side to win the tournament in South America. The Croatia national football team actually opened the tournament against Brazil. A controversial penalty contributed to a 3-1 defeat, despite the side taking the lead. A 4-0 win over Cameroon in the second group match put the side back on track. In what was basically a play-off for qualification, the side lost 3-1 to Mexico and were eliminated.

2018

Russia

The Croatia national football team have been drawn in Group I alongside Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, and Finland.

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