Croatia at the UEFA European Championship
International football delegation
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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. Croatia has qualified for every Euro competition except for the 2000 edition. The team's best performances have been reaching the quarter-finals twice — in 1996 and 2008, losing to Germany and Turkey, respectively.
Overall record
| UEFA European Championship record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 1960 to  1992 |
Part of  Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||
 1996 |
Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | Squad | 1st | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 5 | |
  2000 |
Did not qualify | 3rd | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | |||||||||
 2004 |
Group stage | 13th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | Squad | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 5 | |
  2008 |
Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | Squad | 1st | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 8 | |
  2012 |
Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | Squad | 2nd | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 7 | |
 2016 |
Round of 16 | 9th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | Squad | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 5 | |
 2020 |
14th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | Squad | 1st | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | ||
 2024 |
Group stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Squad | 2nd | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 4 | |
  2028 |
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
  2032 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 7/8 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 34 | – | – | 78 | 50 | 17 | 11 | 148 | 50 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
| Croatia's European Championship record | |
|---|---|
| First Match | Turkey 0–1 Croatia  (11 June 1996; Nottingham, England) |
| Biggest Win | Croatia 3–0 Denmark  (16 June 1996; Sheffield, England) |
| Biggest Defeat | Croatia 0–3 Portugal (19 June 1996; Nottingham, England)  Spain 3–0 Croatia (15 June 2024; Berlin, Germany) |
| Best Result | Quarter-finals in 1996 and 2008 |
| Worst Result | Group stage in 2004, 2012 and 2024 |
UEFA Euro 1996
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
|
 |
|
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
Notes:
- Head-to-head points: Croatia 4, Italy 1.
Group stage
| 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 |
Knockout stage
- Quarter-finals
UEFA Euro 2004
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
|
|
|
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
Notes:
- Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: Croatia +3, Belgium −3.
- Play-offs
Croatia won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for UEFA Euro 2004.
Group stage
| 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 |
UEFA Euro 2008
Qualifying
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 | |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | North 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:
Notes:
- Head-to-head points: England 4, Israel 1.
Group stage
- Tied on head-to-head result (Austria 1–1 Poland). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Knockout stage
- Quarter-finals
UEFA Euro 2012
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
|
|
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Croatia won 3–0 on aggregate and qualified for UEFA Euro 2012.
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 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 |
UEFA Euro 2016
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
Notes:
- Croatia were deducted one point after charges for racist behaviour in the home match against Italy.
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 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 |
Knockout stage
- Round of 16
UEFA Euro 2020
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| 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 stage |
| 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 |
- Tied on head-to-head result (Croatia 1–1 Czech Republic) and overall goal difference (+1). Overall goals for was used as the tiebreaker.
Knockout stage
- Round of 16
UEFA Euro 2024
Qualifying
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
|
|
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Italy |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Croatia |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Albania |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 |
- Ranking of third-placed teams
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Wins; 5) Lower disciplinary points total; 6) European Qualifiers overall ranking (or drawing of lots, if hosts Germany had been involved in the tiebreaker).[26]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Wins; 5) Lower disciplinary points total; 6) European Qualifiers overall ranking (or drawing of lots, if hosts Germany had been involved in the tiebreaker).[26]
Notes:
- Disciplinary points: Netherlands −2, Georgia −6.[25]
List of matches
By opponent
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Austria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Czech Republic | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| England | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Germany | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Portugal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Spain | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
Player records
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luka Modrić | 16 | 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 |
| 2 | Ivan Perišić | 13 | 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 |
| 3 | Darijo Srna | 12 | 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 |
| 4 | Vedran Ćorluka | 11 | 2008, 2012, 2016 |
| 5 | Ivan Rakitić | 10 | 2008, 2012, 2016 |
| Marcelo Brozović | 2016, 2020, 2024 | ||
| Andrej Kramarić | 2016, 2020, 2024 |
Goal scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Years (goals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luka Modrić | 4 | 2008, 2016, 2020, 2024 |
| Ivan Perišić | 2016 (2), 2020 (2) | ||
| 3 | Davor Šuker | 3 | 1996 |
| 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 | ||
| Andrej Kramarić | 2024 |
Awards
- Team of the Tournament: Davor Šuker (1996), Luka Modrić (2008)
- With three goals, Mario Mandžukić was the joint-top scorer in 2012 alongside five other players, but did not win an award.