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Croatia skipper Luka Modric was included successful the country's preliminary World Cup squad connected Monday (May 18, 2026), conscionable weeks aft undergoing cheekbone surgery, arsenic the 40-year-old midfield maestro targets a fifth tournament.
Head manager Zlatko Dalic named a 26-man provisional squad, with 7 players connected standby. The last Croatia squad for the World Cup, which volition beryllium co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11, is acceptable to beryllium announced connected June 1.
Modric is expected to retrieve successful clip from the wounded helium suffered past period to anchor Croatia's midfield successful what is apt to beryllium his last quality astatine the World Cup. The 2018 Ballon d'Or victor brings a wealthiness of experience, with 196 international caps, and remains cardinal to Croatia's ambitions.
"He's grooming with a facial disguise and doing well. Maybe this interruption helped him," Dalic told reporters. "We'll spot his condition, but I don't uncertainty him. He'll beryllium successful bully form."
Croatia caput into the tourney facing a tricky trial successful Group L, wherever they will instrumentality connected England, Ghana and Panama.
The squad reflects a blend of acquisition and emerging talent, peculiarly successful defence. Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol and highly rated teen Luka Vuskovic, presently connected indebtedness astatine Hamburger SV from Tottenham Hotspur, are among the cardinal options astatine centre back.
Gvardiol, 24, lone returned to action this period aft 5 months retired with a tibial fracture. He volition be aiming to regain afloat lucifer sharpness up of Croatia's opener against England connected June 17 successful Arlington, Texas.
"We anticipation he'll beryllium acceptable to play. We expect him to beryllium a large boost for america successful the U.S.," Dalic said.
Vuskovic, 19, is regarded arsenic 1 of Europe's astir breathtaking antiaircraft prospects and offers a glimpse into Croatia's future. Like Gvardiol, helium besides returned from wounded this period pursuing a genu problem.
Dalic, who has been successful complaint since 2017, has overseen Croatia's astir palmy period, guiding them to a runners-up decorativeness successful 2018 and a third-place decorativeness successful 2022.
"The main extremity is to get done the group. I'm optimistic arsenic ever - we person a bully nationalist team. We person quality, younker and experience," helium said.
Croatia's run begins with a formidable trial against England earlier matches against Ghana and Panama successful Group L.
"We volition surely beryllium tougher and much antiaircraft against England, playing with much midfielders. England privation to beryllium satellite champions," Dalic added. "Against Ghana and Panama, it volition beryllium antithetic - overmuch much attack-oriented - but neither volition beryllium any little challenging."
Croatia World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).
Standby: Lovro Majer (Wolfsburg), Franjo Ivanovic (Benfica), Dion Drena Beljo (Dinamo), Ivan Smolcic (Como), Karlo Letica (Lausanne), Adrian Segecic (Portsmouth), Luka Stojkovic (Dinamo). (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare successful Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
