Croatia manager, Zlatko Dalic, announced his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup in Zagreb on Wednesday.
In the tournament, scheduled to start later this month, Croatia will be looking to repeat their success from 2018 in Russia, when Croatia led by Dalic achieved their best result in history, finishing as runners-up after losing to France in the final.
While the 2018 tournament saw Croatia field a team of experienced players who had largely been playing together for a decade, this time around the squad, captained by the 37-year-old veteran midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, will include more up-and-coming players in their early 20s thought to represent the team’s future.
These include Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig, Borna Sosa of VfB Stuttgart, and Lovro Majer or Rennes.
Dalic also included six players from the domestic league, an unusually high number, as traditionally the main route for players to earn an invitation for the national squad is playing abroad in some of Europe’s stronger leagues.
Eight silver medalists from 2018 are also still in the team, including Tottenham’s Ivan Perisic, Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic, and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic.
Croatia will be heading to Qatar buoyed by confidence, having topped their group in the ongoing UEFA Nations League tournament with four wins out of six matches, including a 1-0 win at Saint-Denis against France in June.
For the World Cup, Croatia was drawn into Group F and will play their first game against Morocco on November 23rd.
The group also includes Canada, who return to the world’s largest tournament after a 36-year absence, and Belgium, one of the top favorites to win the whole competition.
The last test for Dalic and his team before the tournament will be a friendly match with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on November 16th.
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