Last season, Croatia made it to the UEFA Nations League Final and won the silver medal, and kicks off the new season in September, away at Portugal (5 September, Lisbon) and at home against Poland (8 September, Osijek).

Croatia national team meets on Monday, 2 September in Zagreb. "The UEFA Nations League will provide a good foundation to build the team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. We are without two senators, Vida and Brozović, but happy that our captain remains on board. Luka is our great strength, both on and off the field", said Croatia head coach Dalić.

"Everybody has a chance to fight for his role in the national team, through hard work and quality performances. The opponents in the Nations League are strong, starting with Portugal. Croatia always seeks to win, to succeed, but our main objective remains to select the team for the qualifiers. We'll be looking for some new faces, try some new solutions, and retain the most important - unity, team spirit, and winning mentality", he added.

Croatia squad for the Portugal and Poland encounters:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Dominik Kotarski, Nediljko Labrović

Defenders: Joško Gvardiol, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanišić, Josip Šutalo, Marin Pongračić, Martin Erlić

Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Mario Pašalić, Lovro Majer, Luka Ivanušec, Luka Sučić, Kristijan Jakić, Martin Baturina, Petar Sučić

Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Bruno Petković, Ante Budimir, Igor Matanović

Stand-by: Borna Barišić, Marko Pjaca, Ivica Ivušić, Marco Pašalić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk, Robert Ljubičić