Croatia national football team

The Croatian national football team represents the country internationally and is governed by the Croatian Football Association. Founded in 1990, the team received recognition from FIFA and UEFA in the summer of 1992, shortly after independence from Yugoslavia.

The team played its first official matches in the 1996 European Championship qualifiers, successfully reaching the final tournament and competing for the first time at the continental level. The Croatian team achieved its greatest success at the 2018 World Cup, where they reached the finals, with captain Luka Modrić named the tournament's best player. Previously, in 1998, Croatia won bronze at the World Cup, with Davor Šuker becoming the tournament's top scorer.

Twice—in 1994 and 1998—FIFA has recognized Croatia as the team with the most significant improvement in the rankings. The national team rose from 125th to third place, a record jump for any national team. Croatia went undefeated in qualifying for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and confidently advanced to the final stages of the tournaments.

As of July 18, 2024, the Croatian national team is ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings.