Croatia World Cup 2026 Squad Officially Named: Modrić Leads the Vatreni Into Their Seventh World Cup

Croatia national team head coach Zlatko Dalić has announced a preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The squad announced on Monday features a mix of experienced internationals and emerging talents, as Croatia begin their final preparations for the tournament. It is the seventh time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup, with Croatia’s best performance at the tournament coming in 2018.

The announcement draws enormous anticipation, largely because this is expected to be the final World Cup for the legendary Luka Modrić. This World Cup, from a Croatian perspective, is likely to be all about Luka Modrić, with the 40-year-old unlikely to enter another tournament after this one. He is not the only wise, experienced head in the squad, with the likes of Ivan Perišić (37) and Andrej Kramarić (34) both still key components of the side.

The Full 26-Man Croatia World Cup 2026 Squad

The squad is as follows — Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Dominik Kotarski, Ivor Pandur. Defenders: Joško Gvardiol, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Josip Šutalo, Josip Stanišić, Marin Pongračić, Martin Erlić, Luka Vušković. Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Luka Sučić, Martin Baturina, Kristijan Jakić, Petar Sučić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk. Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Budimir, Marco Pašalić, Petar Musa, Igor Matanović.

Croatia World Cup 2026 Full Squad Table

Goalkeeper: Livaković Remains the First Choice

Dominik Livaković is expected to start in goal for Croatia. The Dinamo Zagreb shot-stopper impressed during the 2022 World Cup, being his side’s hero with saves in penalty shootout triumphs against Japan and Brazil as they reached the semi-finals. The backup options are all a little inexperienced, with Dominik Kotarski, Ivor Pandur and Ivica Ivušić boasting only nine international caps between them.

Defence: Gvardiol Returns to Full Fitness

Gvardiol has started playing again and is on the list. The slight issue is that he was out for six months, but through his training and hard work, Dalić believes he will be at full fitness and in the starting line-up at the World Cup, and a great addition. 

In defence, Croatia boast players with plenty of experience in Europe’s top-five leagues. Joško Gvardiol is the standout and is expected to play out wide at full-back while the likes of Duje Ćaleta-Car and Josip Stanišić bolster the backline. They will have plenty of depth if required, too, with Crystal Palace’s Borna Sosa and exciting Tottenham youngster Luka Vušković, currently on loan at Hamburg, expected to be included in the final 26-player squad.

Midfield: Modrić and Kovačić Lead the Engine Room

Luka Modrić may be 40 years of age but has shown no sign of letting his standards slip at AC Milan, while likely midfield partner Mateo Kovačić will be important despite enduring an injury-hit season at Manchester City. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has been a fantastic servant to his country, taking them to back-to-back World Cup semi-finals, and leading them in their incredible run to the 2018 final. He is ranked at no. 29 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest players of all time and has enjoyed a stellar career.

Notable Omission: Lovro Majer and Marcelo Brozović

Majer was widely expected to at least compete for a creative role in midfield, but Dalić confirmed that his lack of minutes and inconsistent form at club level ultimately counted against him. The coach noted that since the last international window in the United States, Majer has barely started for his club, making it difficult to justify a World Cup place ahead of in-form options like Martin Baturina and Luka Sučić. As a result, Majer has been placed on the standby list rather than in the final 26.

Brozović’s omission is even more symbolic. For years, he has been one of the pillars of Croatia’s midfield, forming a legendary triangle with Modrić and Kovačić. But at 33 and now playing outside Europe’s top-five leagues, his physical level and intensity have inevitably dipped. Dalić has opted to refresh the midfield core with younger, more dynamic profiles such as Kristijan Jakić, Nikola Moro and Petar Sučić, signalling a clear generational shift.

Standby List The standby players include Lovro Majer, Franjo Ivanović, Dion Drena Beljo, Ivan Smolčić, Karlo Letica, Adrian Segečić, and Luka Stojković.

Croatia’s World Cup 2026 Group Stage Fixtures

Croatia open their 2026 World Cup campaign on June 17 against England in Dallas. They will then face Panama on June 23 in Toronto, before concluding the group stage against Ghana on June 27 in Philadelphia.

Croatia Group L Fixtures Table

Croatia’s World Cup History

When Dalić took charge in 2017, he was hired on the provision that if they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the football association would review his position. As it was, they qualified and went on to reach the final of the World Cup, beating England in heartbreaking fashion in the semi-finals. He then carried them to the semi-finals in Qatar four years later, again being beaten only by the winners Argentina in the semi-finals.

Croatia’s World Cup History Table

Can Croatia Go Deep Again?

They qualified relatively easily for World Cup 2026, winning all but one of their Group L qualifying games, with just one draw against the Czech Republic. It is not one of the strongest squads at the tournament on paper, but they came third and second in the last two editions, so they are likely to rank high in the favourites list. After finishing in the top three in the past two tournaments, the Croats put together an unbeaten qualifying campaign, winning seven of their eight matches.

With the legendary Luka Modrić showing he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level, Zlatko Dalić’s side will provide more than just a tough examination for the teams they will face this summer, which include England in Group L. When it comes down to it, Croatia will be dependent on their star performers in defence and midfield to give them the solid foundation they need to make their mark at the World Cup, with Budimir potentially tasked with the main goal-getting role up front.

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