Croatia welcome the Faroe Islands to Zagreb on Friday evening (kick-off 19:45 GMT) as they look to strengthen their push for a place at the next World Cup. After a solid start to qualifying, Zlatko Dalic’s team will be expected to take all three points and put on a show in front of their home fans.
For the visitors, it’s a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition and continue their steady rise. The Faroes have earned respect for their organisation and work rate, even against far stronger opponents, and they’ll arrive with nothing to lose.
Team form
Croatia top Group L of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and have been dominant throughout the campaign, winning five of their six games so far. The only points they’ve dropped came in a goalless draw against Czechia in October. They are three points clear of second-placed Czechia with a game in hand.
Dalic’s side have scored an impressive 20 goals and conceded just once, a record that highlights their defensive discipline and their attacking flair.
The Faroe Islands have also had a respectable run themselves. They currently sit in third place in the group with 12 points, just one behind Czechia. Four wins from seven matches is strong for a side not used to challenging at this level.
While they have not drawn any games – only losing the remainder – their performances have shown resilience and progress, most notably the 2-1 victory over Czechia.
Head-to-head
These two sides have only met once before — and that was earlier in this qualifying campaign, back at the start of September. Croatia edged a 1–0 win on that occasion, thanks to Andrej Kramaric.
This result spoke as much about the defensive structure of the Faroe Islands as it did the patience of Croatia. For all their attacking quality, Dalic’s side found it difficult to break through a disciplined and well-drilled back line, a sign that the Faroes won’t roll over easily in the return fixture.
Team news
At the time of writing, there’s no official team or injury news for either side. Dalic named his squad for this fixture at the end of October, and with no reported setbacks since, it’s expected that all players will be available and at full fitness.
Key stats
Croatia score an average of 3.3 goals per game, while the Faroe Islands score 1.4.
Both teams concede less than a goal per game, with Croatia on 0.2 and the Faroe Islands on 0.9.
Croatia’s biggest result of the campaign so far was their opening match against Gibraltar, battering them 7-0.
Kramaric leads Croatia’s goal tally for this campaign with six goals.
Croatia have gone unbeaten for six consecutive games.
Prediction
Croatia enter this game as clear favourites with a near-flawless campaign. Although the Faroe Islands have shown grit and been well organised, they are likely to come up short against a team with an impressive attacking and defensive record.
