Croatia's run to the World Cup final in 2018 set a new standard for them as an independent nation, after previously reaching the semifinals of France 1998.
With a squad filled with UEFA Champions League talent, Zlatko Dalic's side finally clicked together on the world stage four years ago, to storm past Denmark, Russia and England, before losing out to France in the title decider.
However, they have regrouped since then, despite a last-16 exit at Euro 2020, and Dalic is looking to drag one more big-tournament performance from his veteran stars in Qatar.
Captained by Real Madrid star Luka Modric, Croatia boast one of the most experienced squads at the World Cup, and Dalic is relying on that crucial know-how to drive their momentum once again. They weren't at their best in the group stages, but have the quality to test anyone in the crucial moments now we are in knockout play.
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Croatia World Cup squad 2022
Head coach Dalic named his final squad on November 9. The most notable inclusion was that of midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who had been an injury doubt in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
He suffered a hamstring issue in late September, and missed all of October. Having made his return to club action with Inter just in time, playing a handful of minutes in the November 6 Derby d'Italia against Juventus, he was included in the final squad.
Defender Domagoj Vida had also been under discussion after reportedly also being an injury doubt but he appears fine.
By far the most important name on the list is Luka Modric, who is captain and talisman for the 2018 finalists. It's yet to be confirmed, but at 37 years old it's highly likely this will be his last World Cup. He is joined in the squad by fellow veteran Ivan Perisic.
Duje Caleta-Car of Southampton and Antonio Colak of Rangers have not made the final cut and are arguably the most surprising omissions from the list. Milan striker Ante Rebic was a mainstay of that 2018 run in Russia, but was not part of the preliminary list from which Dalic selected his final 26.
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Dominik Livakovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 27 | 35 |
| GK | 12 | Ivo Grbic | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 26 | 2 |
| GK | 23 | Ivica Ivusic | Osijek (CRO) | 27 | 5 |
| DEF | 2 | Josip Stanisic | Bayern Munich (GER) | 22 | 7 |
| DEF | 3 | Borna Barisic | Rangers (SCO) | 29 | 28 |
| DEF | 5 | Martin Erlic | Sassuolo (ITA) | 24 | 4 |
| DEF | 6 | Dejan Lovren | Zenit St Petersburg (ITA) | 33 | 73 |
| DEF | 19 | Borna Sosa | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | 24 | 9 |
| DEF | 20 | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig (GER) | 20 | 13 |
| DEF | 21 | Domagoj Vida | AEK Athens (GRE) | 33 | 100 |
| DEF | 22 | Josip Juranovic | Celtic (SCO) | 27 | 22 |
| DEF | 24 | Josip Sutalo | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 22 | 3 |
| MID | 7 | Lovro Majer | Rennes (FRA) | 24 | 12 |
| MID | 8 | Mateo Kovacic | Chelsea (ENG) | 28 | 85 |
| MID | 10 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid (SPA) | 37 | 156 |
| MID | 25 | Luka Sucic | RB Salzburg (AUS) | 20 | 4 |
| MID | 11 | Marcelo Brozovic | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 78 |
| MID | 13 | Nikola Vlasic | Torino (ITA) | 25 | 43 |
| MID | 15 | Mario Pasalic | Atalanta (ITA) | 27 | 44 |
| MID | 26 | Kristijan Jakic | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 25 | 4 |
| FWD | 4 | Ivan Perisic | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 33 | 117 |
| FWD | 9 | Andrej Kramaric | Hoffenheim (GER) | 31 | 75 |
| FWD | 14 | Marko Livaja | Hadjuk Split (CRO) | 29 | 15 |
| FWD | 16 | Bruno Petkovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 28 | 23 |
| FWD | 17 | Ante Budimir | Osasuna (ENG) | 31 | 15 |
| FWD | 18 | Mislav Orsic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 29 | 22 |
* Caps and stats correct as of start of Qatar 2022
HERE IT IS! 🥁
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) November 9, 2022
🇭🇷➡️🇶🇦#Croatia squad for the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup in Qatar!#WorldCup #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/P5T3876pP2
WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales
Croatia best player, strengths & weaknesses
Croatia's main weapon in Qatar is their incredible level of experience on both the domestic and international scene, with Modric and Perisic both boasting over 100 caps.
Dalic is again relying on the same names that powered their run to the final in Russia, with Modric and Perisic joined by Dejan Lovren, Vida and Brozovic.
Stars
The old faces are still the star names within the Croatia squad, with Modric remaining the key man for club and country in midfield.
Some of the other veteran stars have seen their stars dip slightly since 2018, but the emergence of Josko Gvardiol offers a new option at the back, with the RB Leipzig star already reportedly on Chelsea's transfer radar.
Strengths
Alongside keeping his veterans ticking over, Dalic has also dealt positively with key international retirements by promoting from within and scouring Europe for talent.
Gvardiol has started ahead of Vida, as a regeneration in defence, with Scotland-based duo Josip Juranovic and Borna Barisic effectively stepping in for now departed Sime Vrsaljko and Ivan Strinic.
Weaknesses
However, despite managing to replace key names at the back, Dalic is lacking a potent replacement for 2018 heroes Mario Mandzukic and Rebic, with Andrej Kramaric shouldering the main goalscoring responsibility.
Croatia fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Stage | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Group | Morocco 0 Croatia 0 | 5 a.m. | Al Bayt |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Group | Croatia 4 Canada 1 | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int'l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Group | Croatia 0 Belgium 0 | 10 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Tues, Dec. 5 | R16 | Japan 1 Croatia 1 (1-3 pens, aet) | 10 a.m. | Al Janoub |
| Friday, Dec. 9 | QF | Croatia 1 Brazil 1 (4-2 pens, aet) | 10 a.m. | Education City |
| Tues, Dec. 13 | SF | Croatia 0 Argentina 3 | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Sat, Dec 17 | 3P | Croatia vs Morocco | 2 p.m. | Khalifa Int'l |
Can Croatia replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster was official, participating teams at the World Cup could only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match."