The Anthem
Lijepa naša domovino
▶ Listen on YouTube ↗“Lijepa naša domovino / Our beautiful homeland…”
Its checkerboard nation pours its whole identity into this 19th-century hymn before kickoff.
The Legends
Names that echo
Luka Modrić
Midfielder · 2000s–20s
2018 Ballon d'Or winner and the conductor of Croatia's golden era.
Davor Šuker
Forward · 1990s
Golden Boot winner at the 1998 World Cup on Croatia's debut.
Zvonimir Boban
Midfielder · 1990s
Elegant captain of the team that announced Croatia to the world.
Fun Facts
Worth knowing
- 01
On its World Cup debut in 1998, Croatia finished third — an astonishing result for a four-year-old nation.
- 02
With under four million people, Croatia reached the 2018 final — one of the great small-nation feats in sport.
- 03
The red-and-white checkerboard of the shirt, the 'šahovnica', is one of football's most recognizable kits.
At the World Cup
The story so far
Pound for pound the World Cup's great overachiever. A young nation of under four million that finished third on debut in 1998, reached the final in 2018 and took third again in 2022, driven by Modrić's genius.
A final from nowhere
Croatia won three consecutive knockout games — the first two in extra time — to reach its first World Cup final.
Bronze on debut
Šuker's six goals fired a brand-new nation to third place at its first World Cup.
Group Stage