Modric advances Croatia's preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić has announced a preliminary list of 33 players to participate in the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
At the top of the list is veteran star Milan midfielder Luka Modric, who continued his prominent presence with the national team despite reaching the age of 40, after leading Croatia to historic achievements in recent years.
Modric led the Croatian national team to the final of the 2018 World Cup, where he finished runner-up, before contributing to occupying third place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, to strengthen his position as one of the most prominent players in the history of Croatian football.
The list also saw the return of a number of prominent names, as the team continues to prepare for the global qualifier, amid great ambitions to achieve a strong participation in the next edition of the World Cup.
Dalić confirmed that Modric is training well after recovering from a previous injury, noting that he wears a protective face mask during training, considering that the last rest period may be beneficial for him physically.
The Croatian coach spoke about Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol, who recently recovered from a serious injury, and expressed hope that he will be fully fit before the start of the tournament.
Croatia, who have qualified thanks to a combination of experience and youth, will be hoping to make it through the group stage, with strong matches against England, Ghana and Panama.
Dalić concluded his remarks by stressing that the first team's goal is to get past the group stage, stressing that Croatia has a combination of experience and quality that gives them optimism ahead of the World Cup.
Croatia National Team Official Regulations
- Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandor (Hull City)
- Defenders: Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City), Doué Chaleta-Char (Real Sociedad), Josip Schotalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich), Marin Bongračić (Fiorentina), Martin Ehrlich (Mitteland of Denmark), Luka Vuškovic (Hamburg)
- Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pašalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Turin), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Christian Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Frock (Rijeka)
- Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Bašalić (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanović (Freiburg)
- Reserve list: Lovrov Meyer (Wolfsburg), François Ivanovic (Benfica), Dion Pelew (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Smielcic (Como), Carlo Lettica (Lausanne), Luka Stojkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Adrian Sigičić (Portsmouth).
Croatia team in the World Cup
Croatia will play their matches in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup in Group L, which includes England, Panama and Ghana, where the Croatian national team enters the tournament with great ambitions based on its strong record in previous editions.
The Croatian national team will open its campaign against England on June 17, 2026 at AT&T Stadium in Texas at 23:00 Syrian time, Panamawill meet Panama on June 24 at BMO Field in Toronto at 02:00 am Syrian time, and will conclude its matches on June 28 with Ghana at Lincoln Financial Field in Pennsylvania at exactly midnight Syrian time.
The Croatian national team has a remarkable history in the tournament, as it participated in six previous editions and achieved its best achievements by obtaining the runner-up in the 2018 World Cup, in addition to the third place in the 1998 and 2022 editions, which makes it one of the teams that is always a candidate to make a difference in the big dates.