Croatia's World Cup Opener Against England: Key Challenges Ahead

Zlatko Dalic knows exactly what is coming. England, Dallas heat, and a World Cup opener that could shape Croatia’s entire summer in 90 unforgiving minutes.

He would never say it publicly, but he came close. A gentler start, a softer opponent, a chance to play their way into the tournament – that would have suited a side nursing bruised bodies and frayed form. Instead, on 17 June, they walk straight into one of the favourites.

“The first game can destroy everything,” Dalic admitted, the line hanging in the air like a warning as much as a reflection.

He has lived both sides of that truth. At Euro 2024, Croatia were blown away 3-0 by Spain in their opener and never recovered. Six years earlier in Russia, they eased past Nigeria in their first match and rode that early momentum all the way to the final. In Qatar, a hard-fought draw with Morocco laid the foundation for another deep run, this time to third place.

The pattern is clear to him. Start well, Croatia become a problem. Start badly, the whole project can collapse.

This time, though, the anxiety is not just about the name on the other teamsheet. It is about his own.

Croatia edged Slovenia 2-1 in their final friendly in Varazdin before flying to the United States, a useful win but not one that erased the doubts. Dalic is wrestling with a squad that looks light on both numbers and rhythm. Key men are either just back from injury or short of serious minutes. That is not the platform any coach wants before facing England.

The Manchester City pair of Mateo Kovacic and Josip Gvardiol sit at the heart of his concerns. Both are returning from injuries, both essential to the spine of this team, and both short of the sharpness a World Cup opener demands.

“Kovacic, Gvardiol and Modric didn’t play much for a long time and they are not in optimal form,” Dalic said. It was a stark assessment, stripped of the usual tournament optimism.

“Especially Kovacic, he hardly played this season and now we need him. It’s not easy and we need time. Gvardiol is now back but I know they are not at the optimal level. We don’t have a big roster and these are some of our most important players.”

That thinness is the quiet fear behind Croatia’s proud exterior. This is not a 26-man squad stacked with like-for-like replacements. When their core creaks, the whole structure feels it.

Even Luka Modric is managing his way to Dallas. The captain, still the emotional and technical heartbeat of this side, scored a beautifully taken goal against Slovenia while wearing a protective mask, the legacy of a fractured cheekbone. The finish was vintage Modric – touch, timing, calm – but Dalic knows the 38-year-old is playing catch-up just like the rest of his senior lieutenants.

And yet, this is Modric and this is Croatia. They are at their most dangerous when everyone else starts counting them out.

Dalic understands the psychology of this fixture better than most. He was on the touchline in Moscow in 2018 when Croatia came from behind to beat England in the semi-final, a night that left deep scars on the other side of that contest. He refused to lean on that history now. England have since beaten Croatia twice, and any idea that Gareth Southgate’s players still carry ghosts from Luzhniki feels outdated to him.

He prefers to talk about what England are today.

“A very strong team whose league is the best in the world and who play very offensive, very fast,” he said. Respect, not fear, but respect all the same.

He praised their long US-based preparation, noting how they flew to Miami a week before the game despite the match being in Dallas and still days away. It sounded like admiration for a nation that has built a modern tournament machine.

Croatia, by contrast, arrive with less fanfare and more questions. Can Gvardiol hit his stride quickly enough to anchor the defence? Can Kovacic, so often the link between midfield control and forward thrust, find his legs in time? Can Modric, masked and managing his minutes, summon one more masterclass on the biggest stage?

Dalic does not hide from the stakes. “We can’t choose anything else now. The first game is the most important game. Against England we’ll fight, try to do our best and try to win.” There is no talk of easing into the group, no hedging about a draw being enough. He knows what a positive result in the opener can do for a team that has made a habit of growing into tournaments.

The challenge is brutal. The margin for error, slimmer than ever. But Croatia have built an era on walking into nights like this and refusing to blink.

In Dallas, against an England side many see as peaking, we find out if they can do it all over again.