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Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić has named a 24-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Czechia and Gibraltar.
The Vatreni go into the October qualifiers with a perfect record, having taken maximum points from their opening four matches.
They will face Czechia in Prague on 9 October before hosting Gibraltar in Varaždin three days later. Both matches kick off at 20:45.
Alongside his main squad, Dalić has issued 12 standby call-ups, giving him flexibility to react to injuries or changes in player form.
One of the players on that standby list is midfielder Luka Sučić, who did not make last month’s squad after missing the match against the Czech Republic in Osijek when he attended a family wedding.
Dalić: “This will be our toughest test”
“The results so far speak for themselves and it’s natural to stick with the team that has delivered 12 points,” said Dalić.
“I am pleased to see Joško [Gvardiol] back in top shape and we will wait for Mateo [Kovačić] until the last moment because of his importance. With more standby call-ups, we have left ourselves options as some players struggle with injuries, club status or are pushing through with good form.”
Dalić stressed that the Prague clash will be Croatia’s biggest challenge so far.
“Beating Czechia in Osijek means nothing now. They will be stronger at home, but I believe in this team. Qualifying for the World Cup is never easy – it is the pinnacle for every player and coach. We want to confirm our quality in Prague,” he said.
The match in Prague will be Dalić’s 100th game in charge of Croatia, with his 101st coming in Varaždin against Gibraltar – a fixture he is especially looking forward to.
“I am delighted to lead the team in Varaždin. We are big favourites against Gibraltar, but there will be no relaxing because the stakes are too high,” he added.
Schedule and group standings
The national team will gather in Zagreb on 6 October before flying to Prague on 8 October. Following the match against Czechia, the squad will return directly to Zagreb and then move to Varaždin ahead of the Gibraltar game.
Croatia currently top their group with 12 points and a +16 goal difference after four matches. Czechia also have 12 points but from five games and with a +5 difference. Faroe Islands and Montenegro follow with six points each, while Gibraltar remain without a point.
Only the group winner qualifies directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the runner-up will go into the play-offs. After October, Croatia will conclude the qualifying campaign in November with fixtures against the Faroe Islands in Rijeka and Montenegro in Podgorica.
Squad list
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, Lovro Majer, Martin Baturina, Kristijan Jakić, Petar Sučić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk
Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Budimir, Marco Pašalić, Franjo Ivanović
Standby call-ups: Nikola Vlašić, Bruno Petković, Josip Juranović, Mislav Oršić, Borna Sosa, Luka Sučić, Petar Musa, Igor Matanović, Domagoj Bradarić, Ivan Smolčić, Karlo Letica, Ivor Pandur