2026–27 Croatian Football League
Football league season
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The 2025–26 Croatian Football League (officially SuperSport Hrvatska nogometna liga for sponsorship reasons) will be the 36th season of the Croatian top division football, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992. The season will start on 31 July 2026.
Season2026–27
Dates31 July 2026 – 22 May 2027
| Season | 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 July 2026 – 22 May 2027 |
← 2025–26 2027–28 → | |
The league will be contested by 10 teams.
Teams
The following teams will compete in the 2026–27 HNL.
Club changes
NK Rudeš were promoted from the 2025–26 Prva NL after a two years absence from the top flight while HNK Vukovar 1991 were relegated to the 2026–27 Prva NL after one season back in the top flight.
Stadia and locations
| Dinamo Zagreb | Gorica | Hajduk Split | Istra 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadion Maksimir | Gradski stadion Velika Gorica | Stadion Poljud | Stadion Aldo Drosina |
| Capacity: 24,851 | Capacity: 4,536 | Capacity: 33,987 | Capacity: 9,921 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Lokomotiva |
Locations of teams in 2026–27 HNL |
Osijek | |
| Stadion Maksimir | Opus Arena | ||
| Capacity: 24,851 | Capacity: 13,005 | ||
|
 | ||
| Rijeka | Rudeš | Slaven Belupo | Varaždin |
| Stadion Rujevica | Gradski stadion Velika Gorica | Stadion Ivan Kušek-Apaš | Stadion Varteks |
| Capacity: 8,191 | Capacity: 4,536 | Capacity: 3,054 | Capacity: 8,818 |
 |
|
 |
 |
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinamo Zagreb | Zagreb | Maksimir | 24,851 | [1] |
| Gorica | Velika Gorica | ŠRC Velika Gorica | 4,536 | [2] |
| Hajduk Split | Split | Poljud | 33,987 | [3] |
| Istra 1961 | Pula | Stadion Aldo Drosina | 9,921 | [4] |
| Lokomotiva | Zagreb | Maksimir | 24,851 | [1] |
| Osijek | Osijek | Gradski vrt | 18,856 | [5] |
| Rijeka | Rijeka | Rujevica | 8,191 | [6] |
| Rudeš | Zagreb | ŠRC Velika Gorica | 4,536 | [2] |
| Slaven Belupo | Koprivnica | Stadion Ivan Kušek-Apaš | 3,054 | [7] |
| Varaždin | Varaždin | Stadion Varteks | 8,818 | [8] |
| Rank | Counties of Croatia | Number of teams | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  City of Zagreb |
2 | Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva, Rudeš |
| 2 |  Istria |
1 | Istra 1961 |
 Koprivnica-Križevci |
Slaven Belupo | ||
 Osijek-Baranja |
Osijek | ||
 Primorje-Gorski Kotar |
Rijeka | ||
 Split-Dalmatia |
Hajduk Split | ||
 Varaždin |
Varaždin | ||
 Zagreb County |
Gorica | ||
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinamo Zagreb |  Mario Kovačević |
Josip Mišić |
Castore | PSK |
| Gorica | Mario Carević |
Jurica Pršir |
Alpas | Kömmerling |
| Hajduk Split |  Gonzalo García |
Marko Livaja |
Adidas | Tommy |
| Istra 1961 | Javier Cabello |
Josip Radošević |
Joma | Germania |
| Lokomotiva | Nikica Jelavić |
Denis Kolinger |
Macron | Favbet |
| Osijek |  Federico Bessone |
Borna Barišić |
2Rule | Mészáros és Mészáros Kft. |
| Rijeka |  Matjaž Kek |
Ante Majstorović |
Joma | Favbet |
| Rudeš | Alen Peternac |
|||
| Slaven Belupo | Mario Gregurina |
Tomislav Božić |
Jako | Belupo |
| Varaždin | Nikola Šafarić |
Oliver Zelenika |
Capelli Sport | BURAI |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijeka | Víctor Sánchez |
Mutual consent | 27 May 2026 | Pre-season | Matjaž Kek |
7 June 2026 |
| Istra 1961 | Krešimir Režić |
Contract expired | 27 May 2026 | Javier Cabello |
9 June 2026 | |
| Osijek | Tomislav Radotić |
27 May 2026 | Federico Bessone |
23 June 2026 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinamo Zagreb | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Gorica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Hajduk Split | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Istra 1961 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Lokomotiva | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Osijek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Rijeka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Rudeš | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Slaven Belupo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Varaždin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to First Football League |
First match(es) will be played: 31 July 2026. Source: SuperSport HNL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored (at home if two teams tied); 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Criteria 2-4 and 7 is only used if deciding champion, teams to international competition or teams for relegation and in that case criteria 6 will not be used).[9]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored (at home if two teams tied); 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Criteria 2-4 and 7 is only used if deciding champion, teams to international competition or teams for relegation and in that case criteria 6 will not be used).[9]
Notes:
- The 2026–27 Croatian Football Cup winners qualify for the Europa League first qualifying round (or the second-placed team if the Croatian Cup winners finish first). If the Croatian Cup winners finish in the top three, the second Conference League second qualifying round spot will be passed to the fourth-placed team.
Results
Each team plays home-and-away against every other team in the league twice, for a total of 36 matches each played.
Statistics