2018 Balon d’Or winner Luka Modric, at the old age of 40, will once again lead Croatia to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The AC Milan midfield maestro has already competed in four World Cups, and the imminent one in North America will be his last.
Head coach Zlatko Dalic included another veteran in Croatian football, Ivan Perisic. The 37-year-old PSV winger is another senior citizen the 2018 runner-up will look forward to in North America.
Mateo Kovacic is only 32 but has been around for a very long time. He has been included in the team by Dalic as he is also due to offer immense experience to the young ones.
Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol and Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanisic will lead Croatia from the back.
Mario Pasalic, Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimi are all part of the team travelling to the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Croatia’s World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).
Croatia in Group L will face England, Panama and Ghana in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
