Croatia charged from un-fancied outsiders to World Cup finalists in 2018. Now, four years later, Luka Modric and Co's impact on Qatar has brought them into the footballing elite once more.
France proved too powerful and Kylian Mbappe too brilliant in the Moscow final and Croatia once again surprised people in Qatar.
They sent pre-tournament favourites Brazil home but ultimately lost to Argentina 3-0 in the semifinals.
As Croatia continue to establish themselves among the world's best footballing nations, The Sporting News gets you up to speed on their homeland.
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Where is Croatia?
Croatia is situated in the south of central Europe, forming part of the Balkans. Lying on the banks of the Adriatic Sea, it is neighbours with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia.
The nation is known for its outstanding natural beauty, stunning sandy beaches, historic fortified cities, Roman history and summer tourism.
It is part of the European Union and will abandon its national currency, the Kuna, in favour of the Euro in January.
Croatia was part of Yugoslavia from the end of World War I until the collapse of socialism in 1991, when it declared independence.
The nations unified within Yugoslavia included Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
Four million people call Croatia home, with around 25 per cent of those living in its capital city and financial centre, Zagreb.
Rijeka and Split are Croatia's other two major cities, with the latter one of the nation's top tourist destinations. Dubrovnik is the one of its most popular fortified cities.
There are more than 1200 Adriatic islands controlled by Croatia, although most are not inhabited. Krk is the Balkan country's most populous island, with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
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What language is spoken in Croatia?
A proud nation with strong national identity, 95 per cent of Croatia's population speak their native language: Croatian.
The language is of slavic descent and only subtly different from Bosnian, Serbian and Montenegrin. It is also a close relative of Slovene, with similarities to Russian and Ukrainian.
Many Croats also speak English, but it is less common than in many other European nations.
Croatia international football history
Croat players competed for Yugoslavia until the early 1990s, and were a force on the European and world stage.
Although Yugoslavia never lifted a major honour, they reached two European Championship finals and two World Cup semi-finals — but performances declined with the collapse of socialism across Europe.
Croatia began organising matches as an independent force in 1994, reaching the quarterfinals at Euro 96 and losing to a Jurgen Klinsmann-led Germany.
They have never improved on that inaugural European Championship but will surely be aiming for something special at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Croatia best ever players
Luka Modric, 37, is still operating at football's top level, and yet he is already considered his nation's all-time greatest player. If he lifts the World Cup in Qatar, that greatness may never be equalled.
The Croatia captain's talismanic performances during the 2018 World Cup led them all the way to the final and secured the Ballon d'Or — ending Ronaldo and Messi's 10-year stranglehold on the award.
That's without mentioning Modric's glittering Real Madrid career, where he is a fan favourite and all-time icon alongside names like Ronaldo, Beckham and Raul.
Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic are two more all-time Croatian greats helping Modric strive for glory in Qatar. Both have notched 33 goals for their nation and share second place in the all-time top scorer standings, after Perisic drew level in the last-16.
The Tottenham star has enjoyed a magnificent career in Europe and was another driving force in 2018. He hasn't missed a match at the 2022 World Cup.
Mandzukic now sits in the Croatian dugout beside Zlatko Dalic as assistant manager, but he was one of Europe's most underrated strikers in his day: scoring 144 goals for clubs like Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid. For Juventus, he bicycle-kicked one of the best Champions League final goals ever.
The striker was awarded the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup after burying six goals, scoring in all-but one match. He was a feared force in La Liga for Sevilla and Real Madrid and notched almost 250 career goals for club and country.
Croatia run to final at Russia 2018
The collective cool heads and shoot-out nerve in Croatia's team prevailed at the 2018 World Cup, just like they have in 2022.
They dominated Group D with three wins from three, before squeezing through the first two knockout rounds via penalties.
| Group D | W | 2-0 Nigeria |
| Group D | W | 3-0 Argentina |
| Group D | W | 2-1 Iceland |
| Last-16 | W | 1-1 Denmark (3-2 pens) |
| Quarterfinal | W | 2-2 Russia (4-3 pens) |
| Semifinal | W | 2-1 vs England |
| Final | L | 2-4 vs France |
Croatia World Cup record
Since gaining independence this nation of 4 million people have entered the World Cup on six occasions — incredibly playing three semi-finals.
Powered by the goals of Davor Suker, they beat Romania, Germany and the Netherlands en-route to third-place in their debut World Cup.
| Tournament | Finisg | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Knocked out by |
| 1998 | Third-place | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 2002 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Mexico, Italy, Ecuador |
| 2006 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Brazil, Australia, Japan |
| 2010 | DNQ | |||||
| 2014 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Brazil, Mexico, Cameroon |
| 2018 | Runners-up | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | France |
**DNQ = Did not qualify