As the road to the 2026 World Cup stretches across three continents, Croatia national football team will test themselves against elite opposition when Belgium national football team visit Rijeka for a high-profile friendly on 2 June.
The match, confirmed by the Croatian Football Federation, will be staged at Stadion Rujevica, where Croatia will base part of their final preparations for the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Both sides currently sit inside FIFA’s top ten, underlining the calibre of opposition Croatia are deliberately seeking, reports SportKlub
This will be the tenth meeting between the two nations, with the rivalry finely balanced: three Croatian wins, three draws and three Belgian victories. Their most recent encounter came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when a disciplined 0–0 draw was enough for Croatia to progress to the knockout stages at Belgium’s expense.
Dalić: “We don’t avoid the strongest opponents”
Head coach Zlatko Dalić made it clear that Croatia’s approach to friendlies is anything but cautious.
“We don’t shy away from the strongest opponents because that’s the best way to see where we really are and what we still need to work on,” said Dalić. “Belgium have been among the world’s top ten teams for years. They are an excellent test, especially ahead of our opening World Cup match against England. They are physically powerful, technically strong, and dangerous going forward with pace and quality.”
Dalić added that Croatia’s preparations have been meticulously planned well in advance, from training camps to friendly fixtures. “Now our focus is on monitoring our players, hoping they stay healthy, in form and playing regularly for their clubs, so we can be fully prepared for what awaits us in North America.”
A demanding run-in before North America
The Belgium fixture will be Croatia’s penultimate test before the squad relocates to its base camp in Alexandria for the group stage. Earlier in the year, the Vatreni will face Colombia on 26 March and Brazil on 31 March in Orlando, with one final warm-up match in Croatia still to be confirmed before departure to the United States.
Croatia will begin their World Cup campaign in Dallas on 17 June against England, kicking off at 22:00 Croatian time. They then face Panama in Toronto on 23 June (01:00 on 24 June Croatian time), before concluding the group stage against Ghana in Philadelphia on 27 June, with kick-off scheduled for 23:00.
With heavyweight opponents lined up and little margin for complacency, Croatia’s message is clear: preparation, not protection, is the guiding principle as another World Cup adventure approaches.
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