Croatia became the latest team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup from Europe as they thrashed minnows Faroe Islands 3-1 at the HNK Rijeka Stadium, Softfootball reports.
The former World Cup finalist showed no mercy as they crushed their opponents with 40-year-old Luka Modric orchestrating things from midfield as they comfortably won the match and topped the Group L table with 19 points while second placed Czech Republic have 13 points with just one game left in the group.
Croatia enjoyed the game and celebrated loudly via their official X handle with a post that read:
Qualified! 🇭🇷🙌🎊👏 @FIFAWorldCup, here we come!
📸 Cropix#Family #WCQ #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/bhvNu9JaER
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) November 14, 2025Croatia walked into the match with confidence but it was the away side that stunned them with a goal after just 16 minutes. Géza Dávid Turi was brilliant in the early minutes of the match and it was no surprise that he was the one that got the goal for the away side.
Croatia eventually pulled a goal back through Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol in the 23rd minute and the game ended 1-1 in the first half. The Cityzens will be proud to see Gvardiol continue with his good form this season as he was in the Manchester City squad that beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad before the international break.
In the second half, Petar Musa and Nikola Vlašić added two more goals for Croatia as they ran away with a 3-1 victory inside the HNK Rijeka Stadium. Croatia will play Montenegro in their final group match on Monday.
