Croatia, New Zealand, Egypt and Tunisia to play inaugural tournament in UAE
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
The Croatian national football team will participate in the Winsunited Cup, an international tournament held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March, the Croatian Football Federation confirmed today.
The Croatian Football Federation has reached an agreement for the national team to take part in the inaugural Winsunited Cup from March 22 to March 26, 2024, in the Emirates.
Alongside Croatia, the tournament will feature top African teams, Egypt and Tunisia, as well as the best team from Oceania, New Zealand.
The semifinal matches will be played on March 22, followed by the losers facing off on March 25 in a match for the 3rd place. The winners of the semifinals will play for the inaugural title of W Cup champions on the following day.
The tournament will be held every two years, and additional information, including the semifinal pairings and exact timings and locations of matches, will be announced later.
“We wanted to utilize the March timeframe for such a tournament, with strong opponents gathered in one place, which was not easy to organize. However, the Croatian national team has a great reputation, especially considering the results of the past five years, and we managed to find an excellent solution that fits all parameters desired by the coaching staff led by manager Dalić. The opponents are suitable, and the stay in the Emirates will primarily serve to create quality chemistry on and off the field ahead of the Euros in Germany,” stated Marijan Kustić, the president of the Croatian Football Federation.
“We have been hoping for a tournament like this, where we can play two good matches because all the participants are quality teams. Additionally, we will have excellent training and working conditions, and our stay in the Emirates will primarily be used for team-building, as was the case in 2022 at the friendly tournament in Doha. The March timing is an ideal opportunity for us to lay a solid foundation and create the right atmosphere for everything that awaits us in Germany this summer,” said coach Zlatko Dalić.
From 22 to 26 March 2024, #Croatia will play in the first edition of the Winsunited Cup in the United Arab Emirates! 🇦🇪
Croatia ➕ Egypt, Tunisia, and New Zealand! 🇭🇷🇪🇬🇹🇳🇳🇿
🔹 The semifinals pairings, kick-off times and locations to be announced later. #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/VcuKgMcT15— HNS (@HNS_CFF) January 8, 2024