Croatia national football team

Croatia

Nickname(s)	Vatreni (Blazers) Kockasti (Checkered Ones)
Association	Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatski nogometni savez, HNS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Zlatko Dalić
Captain	Luka Modrić
Most caps	Luka Modrić (174)
Top scorer	Davor Šuker (45)
FIFA code	CRO
First colours Preview warning: pattern_so="_cro24h", filetype="png" → File:Kit socks_cro24h.png does not exist. Second colours Preview warning: pattern_so="_cro24a", filetype="png" → File:Kit socks_cro24a.png does not exist.
FIFA ranking
Current	10 (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest	3 (1998)
Lowest	125 (March 1994)
First international
Croatia 4–0 Switzerland  (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 2 April 1940) as FIFA member  Slovakia 1–1 Croatia  (Bratislava, Slovakia; 8 September 1941) as modern Croatia  Croatia 2–1 United States  (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 17 October 1990) as FIFA member  Australia 1–0 Croatia  (Melbourne, Australia; 5 July 1992)
Biggest win
Croatia 10–0 San Marino  (Rijeka, Croatia; 4 June 2016)
Biggest defeat
Spain 6–0 Croatia  (Elche, Spain; 11 September 2018)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1998)
Best result	Runners-up (2018)
European Championship
Appearances	7 (first in 1996)
Best result	Quarter-finals (1996, 2008)
Nations League Finals
Appearances	1 (first in 2023)
Best result	Runners-up (2023)
Medal record Men's football FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia Team 1998 France Team 2022 Qatar Team UEFA Nations League 2023 Netherlands Team
Website	www.hns-cff.hr

The Croatia national football team (Croatian: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni (Blazers) and Kockasti (Checkered Ones).

Since 1994, the Vatreni have qualified for every major tournament with the exception of Euro 2000 and the 2010 World Cup. At the FIFA World Cup, Croatia has finished second once (2018) and third on two occasions (1998, 2022), securing three World Cup medals. Davor Šuker won the Golden Shoe and the Silver Ball in 1998, while Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball in 2018 and the Bronze Ball in 2022. The team has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship twice (1996, 2008) and finished second in the UEFA Nations League in 2023. In June 2023, Croatia recorded its highest-ever Elo Ratings of 2,012 points.

Upon its admission into FIFA in 1994 ranked 125th, they ascended to third place with their debut 1998 World Cup campaign. This marked the fastest, most volatile ascension in FIFA ranking history, making them the youngest team to ever reach a Top 10 place in the World Ranking. Croatia is the second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land mass (after the Netherlands) to reach a World Cup finals. At the World Cup, Croatia hold records for most penalty shoot-out played (4) and won (4) and most penalties saved in a shoot-out (3), among other team records. They were named FIFA Best Mover of the Year in 1994 and 1998, thus becoming the first national team to win the award twice and also equalling joint records with France and Colombia.