Teams · Group L
Croatia
Vatreni (The Blazers)
Croatia have punched far above their weight, reaching the 2018 final and finishing third in 1998 and 2022. Built around a world-class midfield, they are renowned for their tournament resilience.
Croatia’s group path
Croatia starts in Group L with England, Ghana, Panama. They enter the group as the #2 team by MatchupSim power rating, which makes the finishing position especially important: first place, second place and a possible third-place route can each send them into a very different round-of-32 matchup.
Key facts
- Confederation
- Europe (UEFA)
- Group
- Group L · power-ranked #2 of 4
- World Cup titles
- 0
- Best finish
- Runners-up (2018), Third (1998, 2022)
- Qualified via
- UEFA qualifying
- Power rating (PWR)
- 82 · Elo 1850
- Manager
- Zlatko Dalić
Players to watch
- Luka Modrić — Captain, midfield
- Mateo Kovačić — Midfield (Manchester City)
- Joško Gvardiol — Defender (Manchester City)
Group L opponents
Group-stage fixtures
2026 outlook
Experienced and tactically astute, Croatia are again capable of a long run, starting in Group L.
Prediction angles to test
Start with a favorites run, then test one aggressive version where Croatia wins Group L and one conservative version where they finish lower in the table. Comparing those paths shows whether their best chance comes from group control, a softer runner-up route, or surviving as one of the best third-place teams.
Simulate Croatia’s World Cup
Think Croatia can go all the way — or crash out early? Set their Group L finish in the simulator and watch the bracket re-wire around your call, or build a full prediction all the way to the final.