- Wed, Jun 17 — England vs Croatia — Dallas Stadium, Dallas · Group L · 4:00 PM ET
- Tue, Jun 23 — Panama vs Croatia — Toronto Stadium, Toronto · Group L · 7:00 PM ET
- Sat, Jun 27 — Croatia vs Ghana — Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia · Group L · 5:00 PM ET
Croatia World Cup 2026 Kickoff Times
All Croatia kickoff times are shown in your local timezone, auto-detected from your browser. Croatia play their group stage matches in Dallas, Toronto, and Philadelphia. Use the timezone selector above to convert match times to ET, GMT, CET, IST, AEST, or any timezone. Set your available hours to see which Croatia matches fit your schedule. For the full tournament schedule, the printable schedule, or a custom calendar, pick the tool that fits.
About Croatia at World Cup 2026
For a country of under four million people, Croatia's World Cup record is almost absurd. A semi-final in their first tournament as an independent nation in 1998, a runners-up finish in 2018, and another semi-final in 2022. In terms of population-to-performance ratio, no country in world football can match them. They keep showing up at the biggest moments, and they keep exceeding expectations.
The 2018 final in Russia was the crowning achievement. Croatia beat Argentina, England, and hosts Russia on their way to the title match, where they lost to France despite taking the lead. The 2022 semi-final run extended the story, with the team beating Japan and Brazil on penalties before losing to Argentina. Both campaigns were built on midfield control, defensive resilience, and an ability to win tight matches through sheer force of will.
The elephant in the room is age. Luka Modric will be 40 during this tournament, his fifth World Cup. He's expected to reach 200 caps and remains the team's floppy-haired metronome, still conducting play from midfield with the ease of someone two decades younger. Four of the first-choice attacking players are 34 or older. They're the Dad's Army of European football, and the mileage on those legs is a legitimate concern.
Coach Zlatko Dalic has been in charge since 2017 and knows this group inside out. He's earned the right to trust the old guard while gradually integrating younger players. Martin Baturina and Petar Susic represent the future in midfield, but for now, the experienced core still runs the show. The qualifying campaign was strong, with an unbeaten record and 26 goals scored. They arrived prepared and confident.
Group L with England, Ghana, and Panama is familiar territory for a team that thrives when overlooked. The England opener is a blockbuster rematch of 2018, and both teams will approach it knowing a result there could define the group. Croatia's experience in tight knockout-style matches is unmatched at this tournament, and their ability to control games through possession means they rarely get blown out.
Writing off Croatia has historically been a mistake, and it would be unwise to start now. The aging squad creates obvious doubts, but this team has defied logic at three consecutive World Cups. A quarter-final appearance would be a strong tournament. A semi-final would add another chapter to one of the greatest stories in international football. The old guard is running out of time, but they've been running on fumes before and still found a way to keep going. Underestimate them at your own risk.