Topic summary
Croatia national football team
2 (20 July 2026)
Croatia 4–0 Switzerland
(Zagreb, Croatia; 2 April 1940)
Modern Croatia:
Australia 1–0 Croatia
(Melbourne, Australia; 5 July 1992)
Croatia 10–0 San Marino
(Rijeka, Croatia; 4 June 2016)
Spain 6–0 Croatia(Elche, Spain; 11 September 2018)
The Croatia national football team (Croatian: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in men's international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competition. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially known as the Vatreni (Blazers) and the Kockasti (Checkered Ones).
The Vatreni have qualified for every major tournament except UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup, Croatia has finished second once (2018) and third on two occasions (1998, 2022), securing three World Cup medals. Davor Šuker won the Golden Shoe and the Silver Ball in 1998, while Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball in 2018 and the Bronze Ball in 2022. The team has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship twice (1996, 2008). They finished second with a silver medal in the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Croatia recorded an all-time high Elo Rating of 2,012 in 2023.
Upon admission into FIFA in 1994 ranked 125th, they ascended to third place with their debut 1998 World Cup campaign. This marked the fastest ascension in FIFA ranking history. Croatia is the second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land mass (after the Netherlands) to reach a World Cup final. At the World Cup, Croatia hold records for most penalty shoot-out played (4) and won (4) and most penalties saved in a shoot-out (3), among other team records. They were named FIFA Best Mover of the Year in 1994 and 1998, the first team to win the award twice.