Head coach Dalić presents Croatia squad for Orlando friendlies

The Croatia national team faces a double program in Orlando, where they will take on Colombia on March 26 and then Brazil on March 31. The matches will be played as part of the friendly series “Road to 26”, which will also feature France, alongside Croatia, Brazil, and Colombia.

Head coach Zlatko Dalić has remained loyal to familiar players. In addition to the 26 players called up, he also issued nine stand-by call-ups, which can be activated if needed ahead of the national team gathering scheduled for March 23.

"Over the past few weeks we managed to visit a large number of national team players, and I’m pleased that several of them have secured a better status at their clubs, which I asked of them back in November. I felt that the players are living for the World Cup and that they have enormous motivation. I hope they will arrive at the preparations in the best possible form, with a positive mindset and, above all, in good health. These matches in the United States will serve as a great test to see where we stand three months before the World Cup and what we need to work on most during preparations. At the same time, we will use those ten days in Orlando to strengthen the team spirit that has always been our advantage compared to other nations. That’s why we are staying loyal to the squad that has proven itself in recent times. We strongly believe that we will be stronger at the World Cup with Mateo and Joško as well, who are key players for us, and I’m glad they are recovering well from their surgeries. By issuing a larger number of preliminary call-ups, we want to show that we are monitoring many serious candidates for the national team, some of whom are also part of the U-21 side, which has a very important match against Turkey. There are still many matches before the World Cup and plenty of opportunities for all candidates to earn their place through form, performance, and energy — the national team doors are not closed to anyone", said coach Dalić.

"We have never avoided tough tests before major tournaments, so we are looking forward to these challenges as well. Brazil probably has the strongest roster in the world, along with one of the greatest coaches in history, and they will certainly arrive at the World Cup as one of the main favorites for the gold. Colombia, meanwhile, defeated both Brazil and Argentina in the qualifiers and finished the group with the same number of points as Brazil, which says enough about the strength of that team. However, with great respect for both opponents, we have our own strengths, quality, and team spirit, and we want to show ourselves in the best possible light. At the same time, we will make sure to give opportunities to as many players as possible and try out certain ideas we have ahead of the World Cup", said coach Dalić.

👥 Here is #Croatia squad for the upcoming March friendlies against @FCFSeleccionCol and @CBF_Futebol in Orlando, with the @FIFAWorldCup only three months away! 🇭🇷🙌#HrabarBroj #Family #Vatreni❤️‍🔥 pic.twitter.com/iZgraWpK3r

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) March 9, 2026

Croatia has played Brazil five times so far, with the most memorable meeting being their previous clash at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when the Vatreni won a thrilling quarter-final after a penalty shootout.

The first match between the two teams was played in 2005 in Split and ended in a friendly 1–1 draw. A year later, Brazil won 1–0 in their opening match at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Brazil also prevailed 3–1 in the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while the South Americans were again better in a 2018 friendly in Liverpool, winning 2–0. Croatia, however, has never played Colombia before.

The national team players will arrive in Orlando from their respective clubs on March 23, while the coaching staff and federation delegation will travel from Zagreb the same day, along with players from the Croatian Football League.

Squad list:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Dominik Kotarski, Ivor Pandur

Defenders: Duje Ćaleta-Car, Josip Šutalo, Josip Stanišić, Marin Pongračić, Kristijan Jakić, Martin Erlić, Luka Vušković, Ivan Smolčić

Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Lovro Majer, Luka Sučić, Martin Baturina, Petar Sučić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk

Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Budimir, Marco Pašalić, Petar Musa, Igor Matanović

Preliminary call-ups: Bruno Petković, Mislav Oršić, Franjo Ivanović, Domagoj Bradarić, Toma Bašić, Dion Drena Beljo, Franko Kovačević, Karlo Letica, Luka Stojković

Match schedule

Thursday, March 26

16:00* — Brazil vs. France (Gillette Stadium)

19:30* — Colombia vs. Croatia (Camping World Stadium)

Sunday, March 29

15:00* — Colombia vs. France (Northwest Stadium)

Tuesday, March 31

20:00* — Brazil vs. Croatia (Camping World Stadium)

* Local time; the organizer reserves the right to change match kick-off times.

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