Croatia at the UEFA European Championship

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The UEFA European Championship is one of the major competitive international football tournaments, first played in 1960, whose finals stage has been held every four years.

The Croatia national football team has contested this tournament since 1996, having been part of Yugoslavia up until the qualifying stages for the 1992 edition. Croatia has qualified for every Euro competition except for the 2000 edition, played in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's best performances have been reaching the quarter-finals twice — in 1996 and 2008, losing to Germany and Turkey, respectively.

Overall record[edit]

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Position Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 to Sweden 1992 Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Yugoslavia
England 1996 Quarter-finals 7th 4 2 0 2 5 5 Squad 1st 10 7 2 1 22 5
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Did not qualify 3rd 8 4 3 1 13 9
Portugal 2004 Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 4 6 Squad 2nd 10 6 2 2 14 5
Austria Switzerland 2008 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 1 0 5 2 Squad 1st 12 9 2 1 28 8
Poland Ukraine 2012 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 4 3 Squad 2nd 12 8 2 2 21 7
France 2016 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 5 4 Squad 2nd 10 6 3 1 20 5
Europe 2020 14th 4 1 1 2 7 8 Squad 1st 8 5 2 1 17 7
Germany 2024 Qualified 2nd 8 5 1 2 13 4
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Quarter-finals 7/8 22 9 6 7 30 28 – – 78 50 17 11 148 50
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

UEFA Euro 1996[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 1996

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying Group 4
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Italy Lithuania Ukraine Slovenia Estonia
1  Croatia 10 7 2 1 22 5 +17 23[a] Qualify for final tournament — 1–1 2–0 4–0 2–0 7–1
2  Italy 10 7 2 1 20 6 +14 23[a] 1–2 — 4–0 3–1 1–0 4–1
3  Lithuania 10 5 1 4 13 12 +1 16 0–0 0–1 — 1–3 2–1 5–0
4  Ukraine 10 4 1 5 11 15 −4 13 1–0 0–2 0–2 — 0–0 3–0
5  Slovenia 10 3 2 5 13 13 0 11 1–2 1–1 1–2 3–2 — 3–0
6  Estonia 10 0 0 10 3 31 −28 0 0–2 0–2 0–1 0–1 1–3 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Croatia 4, Italy 1.

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 1996 Group D
Croatia's 3-5-2 lineup in the Euro 1996
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Portugal 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Croatia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3  Denmark 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
4  Turkey 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Turkey 0–1 Croatia
Report
  • Vlaović 86'
Attendance: 22,460
Croatia 3–0 Denmark
 Report
Attendance: 33,671
Referee: Marc Batta (France)
Croatia 0–3 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 20,484

Knockout stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 1996 knockout stage
Quarter-finals
Germany 2–1 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 43,412[1]
Referee: Leif Sundell (Sweden)

UEFA Euro 2004[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2004

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying Group 8
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Bulgaria Croatia Belgium Estonia Andorra
1  Bulgaria 8 5 2 1 13 4 +9 17 Qualify for final tournament — 2–0 2–2 2–0 2–1
2  Croatia 8 5 1 2 12 4 +8 16[a] Advance to play-offs 1–0 — 4–0 0–0 2–0
3  Belgium 8 5 1 2 11 9 +2 16[a] 0–2 2–1 — 2–0 3–0
4  Estonia 8 2 2 4 4 6 −2 8 0–0 0–1 0–1 — 2–0
5  Andorra 8 0 0 8 1 18 −17 0 0–3 0–3 0–1 0–2 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: Croatia +3, Belgium −3.
Play-offs
Main article: UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs
Croatia 1–1 Slovenia
Pršo 5' Report Šiljak 22'
Attendance: 34,657[2]
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)
Slovenia 0–1 Croatia
Report Pršo 61'
Attendance: 8,500[3]

Croatia won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for UEFA Euro 2004.

Group stage[edit]

Croatia's 4-4-2 lineup in the Euro 2004
Main article: UEFA Euro 2004 Group B

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 2 1 0 7 4 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 6
3  Croatia 3 0 2 1 4 6 −2 2
4   Switzerland 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Switzerland 0–0 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 24,090
Croatia 2–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 29,160
Croatia 2–4 England
 Report
Attendance: 57,047

UEFA Euro 2008[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group E

In the qualifiers, Croatia was drawn into Group E of Euro 2008's qualifications, along with Andorra, England, Estonia, Macedonia, Israel and Russia.

Over the course of qualifying, Croatia racked up nine wins, two draws, and one loss. Croatia's loss was a 2–0 defeat at Skopje, Macedonia. Croatia and Romania became the final teams to record their first loss, both on the 17 November 2007 matchday, in a qualification cycle where every team suffered at least one defeat. Croatia gathered numerous headlines after knocking England out on the final matchday, with a 3–2 victory at Wembley Stadium.[4]

Croatian striker Eduardo was the second-highest goalscorer in qualifications with ten goals, trailing Northern Ireland's David Healy.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Russia England Israel North Macedonia Estonia Andorra
1  Croatia 12 9 2 1 28 8 +20 29 Qualify for final tournament — 0–0 2–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 7–0
2  Russia 12 7 3 2 18 7 +11 24 0–0 — 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 4–0
3  England 12 7 2 3 24 7 +17 23[a] 2–3 3–0 — 3–0 0–0 3–0 5–0
4  Israel 12 7 2 3 20 12 +8 23[a] 3–4 2–1 0–0 — 1–0 4–0 4–1
5  Macedonia 12 4 2 6 12 12 0 14 2–0 0–2 0–1 1–2 — 1–1 3–0
6  Estonia 12 2 1 9 5 21 −16 7 0–1 0–2 0–3 0–1 0–1 — 2–1
7  Andorra 12 0 0 12 2 42 −40 0 0–6 0–1 0–3 0–2 0–3 0–2 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: England 4, Israel 1.

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group B
Croatia's 4-4-2 lineup in the Euro 2008

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Croatia 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to knockout phase
2  Germany 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
3  Austria (H) 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1[a]
4  Poland 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1[a]
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head result (Austria 1–1 Poland). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Austria 0–1 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 51,428[5]
Croatia 2–1 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 30,461[6]
Poland 0–1 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 30,461[7]

Knockout phase[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 knockout phase
Quarter-finals
Croatia 1–1 (a.e.t.) Turkey
 Report
Penalties
 1–3
Attendance: 51,428[8]

UEFA Euro 2012[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group F
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Greece Croatia Israel Latvia Georgia (country) Malta
1  Greece 10 7 3 0 14 5 +9 24 Qualify for final tournament — 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 3–1
2  Croatia 10 7 1 2 18 7 +11 22 Advance to play-offs 0–0 — 3–1 2–0 2–1 3–0
3  Israel 10 5 1 4 13 11 +2 16 0–1 1–2 — 2–1 1–0 3–1
4  Latvia 10 3 2 5 9 12 −3 11 1–1 0–3 1–2 — 1–1 2–0
5  Georgia 10 2 4 4 7 9 −2 10 1–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 — 1–0
6  Malta 10 0 1 9 4 21 −17 1 0–1 1–3 0–2 0–2 1–1 —
Source: UEFA
Play-offs
Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs
Turkey 0–3 Croatia
Report Olić 2'
Mandžukić 32'
Ćorluka 51'
Attendance: 42,863[9]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Croatia 0–0 Turkey
Report
Attendance: 26,371[10]

Croatia won 3–0 on aggregate and qualified for UEFA Euro 2012.

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 Group C
Croatia's 4-4-2 lineup in the Euro 2012

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7 Advance to knockout phase
2  Italy 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5
3  Croatia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
4  Republic of Ireland 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Republic of Ireland 1–3 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 39,550[11]
Italy 1–1 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 37,096[12]
Referee: Howard Webb (England)
Croatia 0–1 Spain
Report
Attendance: 39,076[13]

UEFA Euro 2016[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2016

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group H
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Italy Croatia Norway Bulgaria Azerbaijan Malta
1  Italy 10 7 3 0 16 7 +9 24 Qualify for final tournament — 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–0
2  Croatia[a] 10 6 3 1 20 5 +15 20 1–1 — 5–1 3–0 6–0 2–0
3  Norway 10 6 1 3 13 10 +3 19 Advance to play-offs 0–2 2–0 — 2–1 0–0 2–0
4  Bulgaria 10 3 2 5 9 12 −3 11 2–2 0–1 0–1 — 2–0 1–1
5  Azerbaijan 10 1 3 6 7 18 −11 6 1–3 0–0 0–1 1–2 — 2–0
6  Malta 10 0 2 8 3 16 −13 2 0–1 0–1 0–3 0–1 2–2 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Croatia were deducted one point after charges for racist behaviour in the home match against Italy.

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2016 Group D
Croatia's 4-2-3-1 lineup in the Euro 2016

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Croatia 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase
2  Spain 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6
3  Turkey 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4  Czech Republic 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Turkey 0–1 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 43,842[14]
Czech Republic 2–2 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 38,376[15]
Croatia 2–1 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 37,245[16]

Knockout phase[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2016 knockout phase
Round of 16
Croatia 0–1 (a.e.t.) Portugal
Report
Attendance: 33,523[17]

UEFA Euro 2020[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Group E
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Wales Slovakia Hungary Azerbaijan
1  Croatia 8 5 2 1 17 7 +10 17 Qualify for final tournament — 2–1 3–1 3–0 2–1
2  Wales 8 4 2 2 10 6 +4 14 1–1 — 1–0 2–0 2–1
3  Slovakia 8 4 1 3 13 11 +2 13 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 0–4 1–1 — 2–0 2–0
4  Hungary 8 4 0 4 8 11 −3 12 2–1 1–0 1–2 — 1–0
5  Azerbaijan 8 0 1 7 5 18 −13 1 1–1 0–2 1–5 1–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 Group D
Croatia's 4-2-3-1 lineup in the Euro 2020

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England (H) 3 2 1 0 2 0 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase
2  Croatia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4[a]
3  Czech Republic 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4[a]
4  Scotland (H) 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head result (Croatia 1–1 Czech Republic) and overall goal difference (+1). Overall goals for was used as the tiebreaker.
England 1–0 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 18,497[18]
Croatia 1–1 Czech Republic
 Report
Attendance: 5,607[19]
Croatia 3–1 Scotland
 Report
Attendance: 9,896[20]

Knockout phase[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 knockout phase
Round of 16
Croatia 3–5 (a.e.t.) Spain
 Report
Attendance: 22,771[21]

UEFA Euro 2024[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2024

Qualifying[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Turkey Croatia Wales Armenia Latvia
1  Turkey 8 5 2 1 14 7 +7 17 Qualify for final tournament — 0–2 2–0 1–1 4–0
2  Croatia 8 5 1 2 13 4 +9 16 0–1 — 1–1 1–0 5–0
3  Wales 8 3 3 2 10 10 0 12 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 1–1 2–1 — 2–4 1–0
4  Armenia 8 2 2 4 9 11 −2 8 1–2 0–1 1–1 — 2–1
5  Latvia 8 1 0 7 5 19 −14 3 2–3 0–2 0–2 2–0 —
Source: UEFA

Group stage[edit]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2024 Group B

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2  Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4  Albania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 15 June 2024. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Spain Match 3 Croatia
Report
Croatia Match 15 Albania
Report
Croatia Match 28 Italy
Report

List of matches[edit]

Year Round Opponent Score Result Venue Croatia scorers
England 1996 Group stage  Turkey 1–0 W Nottingham Vlaović
 Denmark 3–0 W Sheffield Šuker (2), Boban
 Portugal 0–3 L Nottingham —
Quarter-finals  Germany 1–2 L Manchester Šuker
Portugal 2004 Group stage   Switzerland 0–0 D Leiria —
 France 2–2 D Leiria Rapaić, Pršo
 England 2–4 L Lisbon N. Kovač, Tudor
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group stage  Austria 1–0 W Vienna Modrić
 Germany 2–1 W Klagenfurt Srna, Olić
 Poland 1–0 W Klagenfurt Klasnić
Quarter-finals  Turkey 1–1 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p) D Vienna Klasnić
Poland Ukraine 2012 Group stage  Republic of Ireland 3–1 W Poznań Mandžukić (2), Jelavić
 Italy 1–1 D Poznań Mandžukić
 Spain 0–1 L Gdańsk —
France 2016 Group stage  Turkey 1–0 W Paris Modrić
 Czech Republic 2–2 D Saint-Étienne Perišić, Rakitić
 Spain 2–1 W Bordeaux Kalinić, Perišić
Round of 16  Portugal 0–1 (a.e.t.) L Lens —
Europe 2020 Group stage  England 0–1 L London —
 Czech Republic 1–1 D Glasgow Perišić
 Scotland 3–1 W Glasgow Vlašić, Modrić, Perišić
Round of 16  Spain 3–5 (a.e.t.) L Copenhagen Pedri (o.g.), Oršić, Pašalić
Germany 2024 Group stage  Spain – TBD Berlin
 Albania – TBD Hamburg
 Italy – TBD Leipzig

Players with most appearances[edit]

Rank Player Matches Years
1 Luka Modrić 13 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020
2 Darijo Srna 12 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
3 Vedran Ćorluka 11 2008, 2012, 2016
4 Ivan Perišić 10 2012, 2016, 2020
Ivan Rakitić 2008, 2012, 2016

Goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Goals Years (goals)
1 Ivan Perišić 4 2016 (2), 2020 (2)
2 Davor Šuker 3 1996
Luka Modrić 2008, 2016, 2020
Mario Mandžukić 2012
5 Ivan Klasnić 2 2008
6 Zvonimir Boban 1 1996
Goran Vlaović 1996
Niko Kovač 2004
Dado Pršo 2004
Milan Rapaić 2004
Igor Tudor 2004
Ivica Olić 2008
Darijo Srna 2008
Nikica Jelavić 2012
Nikola Kalinić 2016
Ivan Rakitić 2016
Nikola Vlašić 2020
Mislav Oršić 2020
Mario Pašalić 2020

Awards[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shaw, Phil (24 June 1996). "Croatia punished by Sammer". The Independent. Independent Print. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  2. ^ "Croatia v Slovenia, 15 November 2003" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Slovenia v Croatia, 19 November 2003" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ "With McClaren out, England needs something Special". CNN. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Full-time report Austria-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 8 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Full-time report Croatia-Germany" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Full-time report Poland-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Full-time report Croatia-Turkey" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Turkey vs. Croatia - 11 November 2011 - Soccerway".
  10. ^ "Croatia vs. Turkey - 15 November 2011 - Soccerway".
  11. ^ "Full-time report Republic of Ireland-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  12. ^ "Full-time report Italy-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Full-time report Croatia-Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Full Time Summary – Turkey v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Full Time Summary – Czech Republic v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Full Time Summary – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  17. ^ "Full Time Summary – Croatia v Portugal" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Full Time Summary – England v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Full Time Summary – Croatia v Czech Republic" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Full Time Summary – Croatia v Scotland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Full Time Summary – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

External links[edit]