"The Croatia national football team was established after Croatia's independence and is managed by the Croatian Football Federation, with the current head coach being Zlatko Dalić.
Team History
Croatia qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1998 and surprisingly achieved a third-place finish. Croatian striker Davor Šuker won the World Cup Golden Boot that year.
On July 8, 2018, Croatia defeated Russia 6-5 in a penalty shootout in the World Cup quarter-finals, advancing to the semi-finals for the second time since 1998. On July 12, in the second semi-final of the World Cup, Croatia reversed England 2-1 in extra time, reaching the World Cup final for the first time. In the early morning of July 16 Beijing time, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia concluded, with Croatia losing 2-4 to France and finishing as runners-up. This result set a new record for Croatia's best performance in the World Cup. In 2022, the Croatia national men's football team participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and won the third place. In 2023, they claimed the runner-up title in the UEFA Nations League.
On November 19, 2024, in the 6th round of UEFA Nations League Group A1, Croatia drew 1-1 with Portugal, advancing to the quarter-finals."
