Luka Modric will play in his fifth World Cup. The 40-year-old midfielder was included in the list of 26 players that Croatia presented for the Qatar tournament.
Coach Zlatko Dalic confirmed the roster on Monday. Modric, captain and leader of the team, has recovered from a fractured cheekbone suffered last month. He is expected to be ready for the debut against England on June 17. Croatia will also face Panama and Ghana in Group L.
Modric won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, breaking the dominance of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He debuted with the national team in 2006 and is the player with the most international appearances in Croatian history: 196 appearances. During the World Cup it could reach 200 games.
Along with Modric, Dalic included Ivan Perisic, scorer of goals in the last three World Cup tournaments. The squad adds experience with names like Dominik Livakovic, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Mario Pasalic and Andrej Kramaric.
Croatia was runner-up in 2018 after losing the final against France. In 2022 she finished third, beating Morocco in the duel for bronze.
Croatia’s list
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (HSV).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).
In addition, Dalic named seven reserve players: Lovro Majer, Franjo Ivanovic, Dion Drena Beljo, Ivan Smolcic, Karlo Letica, Adrian Segecic and Luka Stojkovic.




