🇭🇷 Croatia

Croatia are serial overachievers who repeatedly reach the latter stages. A UEFA side, they enter the 2026 World Cup rated 1920 — 11th of the 48 teams — in Group L.

World Cup finalists in 2018 and third-place finishers in 1998 and 2022. Midfield-driven and tactically mature, controlling games through technical central players.

Drawn alongside England, Ghana and Panama, their toughest group test on paper is the meeting with England. Our model projects them to finish 2nd in the group and to reach the Round of 16.