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FIFA World Cup 2026: After being in charge of the Croatian national football team for nine years, Zlatko Dalic has stepped down from his post, less than a week after their exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 in heartbreaking fashion. A narrow 1-0 defeat to Portugal marked the end of what seemed like a highly promising campaign.
“I didn’t dare dream that we’d achieve everything we have over these nearly nine years” – Zlatko Dalic
Under Dalic’s tenure, Croatia finished runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in the 2022 edition in Qatar, but the team exited the tournament without a medal this time around.
“When I took over the national team, I believed in the players’ quality and in myself, but I didn’t dare dream that we’d achieve everything we have over these nearly nine years. I can’t describe how proud I am of every victory, of qualifying for major tournaments, of the three medals, of those great nights in Croatian football like when we beat England or Brazil at World Cups,” Dalic said.
Following his appointment in 2017, Dalic led Croatia in 111 matches, recording 62 wins. His team were also runners-up in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
“Head coach, thank you for everything – the victories, the achievements, the qualifying berths, the medals, the unity, the respect, and your unwavering commitment to fight for Croatia, both on and off the pitch,” the Croatian Football Federation said in a statement.
In this year’s World Cup campaign, the 59-year-old’s side advanced to the round of 32 after finishing second in Group L, despite a 4-2 defeat by England, a narrow 1-0 win over Panama in which they managed only two shots on target, and a victory over Ghana. But their campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat by Portugal, after which Dali criticised what he described as poor officiating, citing a VAR-awarded penalty and a late offside decision that ruled out Josko Gvardiol’s stoppage-time equaliser, though he said refereeing was not an excuse for Croatia’s World Cup exit.
Before taking the national job with Croatia, Dalic had spells with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and UAE side Al-Ain. Croatia are one of the big-ticket teams to have been eliminated along with Germany, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Mexico and Egypt.
(With inputs from Reuters)
