World Cup 2026 · Group LCroatiaOdds, Fixtures & Squad

The midfield remains Croatia's structural advantage. Luka Modric, captaining the side at his fifth World Cup at 40 years old, brings nearly 200 caps and the 2018 Golden Ball to the base of Dalic's new system. He partners Mateo Kovacic, who provides the ball-retention and positional intelligence Croatia rely on to control tempo. At the other end of the pitch, Andrej Kramaric was the qualifying campaign's sharpest finisher, netting six goals as Croatia won UEFA Group L — posting 26 goals and conceding just four across eight matches with seven wins and a single draw.

The defensive unit is anchored by Josko Gvardiol, the Manchester City centre-back who has established himself as one of Europe's elite at the position, with young Luka Vuskovic alongside him. Further forward, Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina occupied the double-10 roles in Croatia's June 2 warm-up against Belgium, representing a generation that is auditioning to inherit Modric's creative responsibilities in the attacking third.

Dalic, long associated with a midfield-controlling 4-3-3, has shifted toward a 3-4-2-1 he trialed in full against Belgium. The shape deploys Gvardiol, Vuskovic, and Sutalo in a back three, with Stanisic and Ivan Perisic as wing-backs, Kovacic and Modric anchoring centrally, and Sucic and Baturina as the double-10s behind lone striker Musa. The tactical shift is partly pragmatic — several key players operate in a back three at club level — and partly about integrating Vuskovic while preserving Croatia's traditional midfield quality. Croatia conceded twice in that friendly (Tielemans, Lukaku), but Dalic was explicit that the match was a formation test rather than a peak-performance exercise. Reading competitive form into a lineup experiment would misread the signal.

Group L pairs Croatia with England, Ghana, and Panama. England enter as the likely group leaders, but Croatia's tournament record against top-end opponents — including the 2-1 extra-time win over England in the 2018 semi-final — gives the opener genuine tactical edge rather than a clear hierarchy. Ghana and Panama represent the straightforward advancement opportunities. Qualifying second from the group is a credible baseline; topping it remains plausible if the rematch with England goes Croatia's way. From there, a run to the quarter-finals sits within reasonable expectation given the squad's depth of big-game experience.