Croatia FIFA World Cup squad 2022: All 26 players in the Croatian national football team
After reaching the semi-finals in France in 1998, the Croatia final of the 2018 Football World Cup set a new standard for them as independent nations. With a squad brimming with Champions League talent, Zlatko Dalic’s team finally reached the world stage with a united force four years ago, dragging Denmark, Russia and England before losing the title race to France. FIFA World Cup 2022 fans can buy Croatia Football World Cup Tickets from our website.
Despite their departure from the last 16 at Euro 2020, they have since regrouped and Dalic will be looking for another performance from his veteran in Qatar.
Led by Real Madrid star Luka Modric, Croatia will have one of the most experienced teams at the World Cup, and Dalic will rely on this key skill to once again increase their momentum.
Expected Croatia FIFA World Cup squad 2022
Dalic must submit an official preliminary roster of 35-55 players to FIFA by Friday, October 21, from which he will select the final roster of 26 Qatari players on Monday, November 14.
Those names are most likely to appear on his preliminary roster, based on last year’s World Cup qualifiers and friendlies.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| Goalkeeper | Dominik Livakovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 27 | 33 |
| Goalkeeper | Lovre Kalinic | Hadjuk Split (CRO) | 32 | 19 |
| Goalkeeper | Ivica Ivusic | Osijek (CRO) | 27 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Nediljko Labrovic | Rijeka (CRO) | 23 | 0 |
| Defender | Josip Stanisic | Bayern Munich (GER) | 22 | 6 |
| Defender | Borna Barisic | Rangers (SCO) | 29 | 27 |
| Defender | Martin Erlic | Sassuolo (ITA) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Dejan Lovren | Zenit (RUS) | 33 | 71 |
| Defender | Borna Sosa | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | 24 | 8 |
| Defender | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig (GER) | 20 | 12 |
| Defender | Domagoj Vida | AEK Athens (GRE) | 33 | 99 |
| Defender | Josip Juranovic | Celtic (SCO) | 27 | 21 |
| Defender | Josip Sutalo | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 22 | 3 |
| Defender | Duje Caleta-Car | Southampton (ENG) | 26 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Lovro Majer | Rennes (FRA) | 24 | 10 |
| Midfielder | Mateo Kovacic | Chelsea (ENG) | 28 | 83 |
| Midfielder | Luka Modric | Real Madrid (SPA) | 37 | 154 |
| Midfielder | Marcelo Brozovic | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 76 |
| Midfielder | Nikola Vlasic | Torino (ITA) | 25 | 41 |
| Midfielder | Mario Pasalic | Atalanta (ITA) | 27 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Luka Sucic | RB Salzburg (AUS) | 20 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Ivan Perisic | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 33 | 115 |
| Forward | Andrej Kramaric | Hoffenheim (GER) | 31 | 73 |
| Forward | Marko Livaja | Hadjuk Split (CRO) | 29 | 14 |
| Forward | Bruno Petkovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 28 | 22 |
| Forward | Ante Budimir | Osasuna (ENG) | 31 | 15 |
| Forward | Mislav Orsic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 29 | 20 |
| Forward | Josip Brekalo | VfL Wolfsburg (GER) | 24 | 33 |
Croatia Football World Cup final 26-man squad
Croatia will start their challenge in Qatar on November 23, but first, they will play their final friendly against World Cup-hopeful Saudi Arabia on November 16.
Assuming everyone is perfectly healthy and available, here’s a projected look at who can get on board for the Croats.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| Goalkeeper | Dominik Livakovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 27 | 33 |
| Goalkeeper | Love Kalinic | Hadjuk Split (CRO) | 32 | 19 |
| Goalkeeper | Ivica Ivusic | Osijek (CRO) | 27 | 5 |
| Defender | Josip Stanisic | Bayern Munich (GER) | 22 | 6 |
| Defender | Borna Barisic | Rangers (SCO) | 29 | 27 |
| Defender | Martin Erlic | Sassuolo (ITA) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Dejan Lovren | Zenit St Petersburg (ITA) | 33 | 71 |
| Defender | Borna Sosa | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | 24 | 8 |
| Defender | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig (GER) | 20 | 12 |
| Defender | Domagoj Vida | AEK Athens (GRE) | 33 | 99 |
| Defender | Josip Juranovic | Celtic (SCO) | 27 | 21 |
| Defender | Duje Caleta-Car | Southampton (ENG) | 26 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Lovro Majer | Rennes (FRA) | 24 | 10 |
| Midfielder | Mateo Kovacic | Chelsea (ENG) | 28 | 83 |
| Midfielder | Luka Modric | Real Madrid (SPA) | 37 | 154 |
| Midfielder | Luka Sucic | RB Salzburg (AUS) | 20 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Marcelo Brozovic | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 76 |
| Midfielder | Nikola Vlasic | Torino (ITA) | 25 | 41 |
| Midfielder | Mario Pasalic | Atalanta (ITA) | 27 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Ivan Perisic | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 33 | 115 |
| Forward | Andrej Kramaric | Hoffenheim (GER) | 31 | 73 |
| Forward | Marko Livaja | Hadjuk Split (CRO) | 29 | 14 |
| Forward | Bruno Petkovic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 28 | 22 |
| Forward | Ante Budimir | Osasuna (ENG) | 31 | 15 |
| Forward | Mislav Orsic | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 29 | 20 |
| Forward | Josip Brekalo | VfL Wolfsburg (GER) | 24 | 33 |
The best players in Croatia, strengths and weaknesses
Croatia’s main weapon in Qatar will be their incredible experience on the national and international stage, with Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic both making over 100 appearances.
Dalic will once again rely on his namesake who reached the final in Russia, with Modric and Perisic likely joined by Dejan Lovren, Marcelo Brozovic and Domagoj Vida. Qatar FIFA World Cup fans can buy Croatia Vs Belgium Tickets from our website.
Stars
Old faces are still starred names in the Croatian squad and Modric is still a key midfield figure for the club and country.
A number of other established stars have fallen slightly since 2018, but the rise of Josco Gvardiol has presented the defender with a new option, with the RB Leipzig star reportedly already on the move at Chelsea.
Strengths
In addition to keeping his veterans employed, Dalic has responded aggressively to major international retirements by promoting from within and finding talent in Europe.
Gvardiol could start for Vida as a rear-end revival, with Scottish duo Josip Juranovic and Borna Barisic stepping in effectively for the now-departed Sime Vrsaljko and Ivan Strinic.
Weakness
Despite managing to replace key figures at the back, Dalic still lacks strong replacements for 2018 heroes Mario Mandzukic and Ante Rebic, with Andrei Kramaric taking the prime responsibility.
Croatia FIFA World Cup 2022 Group
Dalic’s Croatia looks set for a straight shootout with Belgium for first place in Group F, with the Red Devils also under pressure to squeeze one last hurrah from their veteran stars.
Canada will pose a threat if any of Europe’s heavyweights struggle, and Coach John Herdman could see his side disrupting the odds in this group.
Croatia Group F match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Morocco vs. Croatia | 5 a.m. | Al Bayt |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Croatia vs. Canada | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Croatia vs. Belgium | 10 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
Can Croatia replace players on the Football World Cup squad?
Once the final roster of 26 men has been formalized, teams participating in the World Cup can only make changes before the tournament’s opening game, and only in exceptional circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules: “A player in the final list will only be replaced due to a serious injury or illness within 24 hours before the start of his team’s first game.”
The team in question must submit a medical report to FIFA, and a replacement will be allowed if the world governing body determines that the “injury is serious enough to prevent the player from participating in the FIFA World Cup”.
Substitutions must be drawn from the preliminary squad submitted to FIFA in October.
Zapresic Boys released a national anthem composed by Croatian fans for Qatar World Cup
The Zapresic Boys have sung the songs of Croatian supporters for a number of major tournaments and now they have released the national anthem for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar today.
Over the years, the group has had many hits such as “Srce vatreno”, “Samo je jedno”, “Neopisivo” and “Igraj moja Hrvatska”, a 2018 World Cup hit with more than 31 million views on YouTube.
The anthem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be released on Friday, is called ‘Jutrom kad se budim’, which means ‘the morning I woke up.
Zapresic Boys
“With this emotional and love song dedicated to Croatia, we hope to inspire our players for the upcoming World Cup. We believe that the success of the Croatian football team from 2018 can be repeated, if not surpassed,” said Zapresic Boys.
The song speaks of the band’s immense love for their country and, like all their songs, has a strong emotional message. These guys don’t hide that throughout their musical career they equate their love for Croatia with their passion for the national team because one cannot live without the other.
The music video for “Jutro kad se budim” was directed by Nevio Smajić and Mario Borščak, an established team that made videos for Zapresic boys. This time, the panellists took a more cinematic approach, starring Josip Brakus, a young actor from Split who lives in Zagreb.
Filmed in many locations in Zagreb, the video follows a young man who is about to leave Croatia in search of a better life. On the way to the station, he recalls the memories and everything that connects him with his birthplace and decides to stay in his country and in this decision find something better for himself. Simultaneously with the story, the Zapresic Boys also appeared, recording their characters in a studio in Zagreb.
The single released by Rubikon Sound Factory was written by Marko Novosel (lyrics), Natko Smoljan (music), and Bojan Salamon – Shalla (arrangement and production).
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