Dalić names Croatia squad with new faces for final qualifiers

by croatiaweek
October 27, 2025
in Sport

Zlatko Dalić

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić has announced his squad for the final two World Cup qualifying matches, unveiling a line-up that includes several new names and some surprise returns.

Croatia, who sit comfortably at the top of their qualifying group, will host the Faroe Islands in Rijeka on 14 November, before travelling to Montenegro three days later.

With qualification for next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico all but secured, Dalić is taking the opportunity to experiment and give new players a chance to impress.

The team needs only a single point from the two remaining matches to guarantee first place in the group, and even in the unlikely event of two defeats, their chances of reaching the tournament remain strong.

This is a rare position for Croatia, who have traditionally left qualification to the very last moment. For the first time, the national side enters the closing rounds without the familiar stress and uncertainty.

In his latest selection, Dalić has recalled Nikola Vlašić, while Lovro Majer features on the standby list only.

Another notable returnee is Igor Matanović, who re-joins the national setup after showing good form at club level.

“We have, for the most part, remained faithful to the squad that secured the winning position we currently hold, as those players have earned the right to celebrate qualification for the World Cup. At the same time, we want to use every gathering to continue improving our teamwork and strengthening our unity,” explained Dalić, adding:

“Of course, we also want to consider new options and give opportunities to players who earn it through consistently good performances, which is why we have sent out 12 preliminary call-ups. Over the next two weeks, we’ll see who else might merit a place in the national team.

The World Cup is ahead of us, we have strong competition in every area of the pitch, and everyone needs to use the coming months to fight for a better position in the team through their playing time and form at their clubs, a place that, naturally, is also earned through previous contributions to the national side.”

The national team will assemble on 10 November in Zagreb, from where they will immediately travel to Rijeka to prepare for the match against the Faroe Islands, scheduled for 14 November at HNK Rijeka Stadium.

On the afternoon of 16 November, the “Vatreni” will travel from Krk to Podgorica, where they will face Montenegro the following day in their final Group L fixture.

The group winner will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the second-placed team will advance to the play-offs.

Squad list for the matches against the Faroe Islands and Montenegro:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Ivica Ivušić, Dominik Kotarski

Defenders: Joško Gvardiol, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Josip Šutalo, Josip Stanišić, Marin Pongračić, Martin Erlić, Luka Vušković

Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Kristijan Jakić, Petar Sučić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk

Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Budimir, Marco Pašalić, Franjo Ivanović, Igor Matanović

Preliminary call-ups: Lovro Majer, Mislav Oršić, Luka Sučić, Martin Baturina, Petar Musa, Domagoj Bradarić, Ivan Smolčić, Adriano Jagušić, Franko Kovačević, Karlo Letica, Ivor Pandur, Moris Valinčić