Top five players left out of Croatia's FIFA World Cup 2026 final squad ft. Lovro Majer

The Vatreni announced their final list of players on May 18.

The Croatia national football team slowly but steadily have become a strong force in international football. They finished as the runners-up during the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup.

The Vatreni came third on two occasions. Once in 1998 and then in 2022.

They have now qualified for the mega competition for the sixth time. It will be interesting to see their performances on the world stage. For the upcoming edition of FIFA’s flagship tournament, Croatia are placed in Group L along with the likes of England, Ghana and Panama.

It is not going to be the easiest journey for them. But they will most likely get past the group stage.

Their recent performance in the international friendly against Brazil was underwhelming. The Vatreni fell prey to a scoreline of 1-3. They will be looking to put in better efforts next time around.

Before the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Zlatko Dalic-led side are going to face Belgium on June 2 and then Slovenia on June 8 in friendly fixtures.

Croatia’s final squad for the mega competition has already been unveiled. But there are some names which have not been included and are kept on standby as of now.

Also Read: Croatia announce official squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Luka Modric

Top players missing from Croatia’s final squad

5. Luka Stojković

The attacking midfielder plays for Dinamo Zagreb and has performed decently for his club. The 22-year-old was not called up, maybe because of the competition for the position. Players like Luka Modric and Luka Sucic can provide more for similar positions.

Stojković has been kept on standby for now.

4. Ivan Smolcic

The right-back has been an important aspect of the squad for Como this season. During the March 2026 international break, Ivan Smolcic was included in the squad for Croatia. He has now been left on standby by Zlatko Dalic, which keeps him out of the 26-man lineup for the World Cup 2026.

3. Adrian Segečić

Adrian Segecic has 16 goal contributions in the EFL Championship this season, but has still not been included in Croatia’s final squad for the upcoming edition of the mega competition. The 21-year-old has only made one appearance for the Croatia nationa football team till now. It might be because of the experience Marco Pašalić, the Orlando City player, has been included ahead of him, who can play as a right winger.

2. Lovro Majer

Even after earning 38 caps for the Vatreni, Lovro Majer has not been included in the final list of players who are going to represent Croatia at the World Cup 2026. The attacking midfielder likely missed out due to the competition for places. But he has been kept on standby as of now.

1. Franjo Ivanović

Franjo Ivanović was looking to confirm his berth during the World Cup qualification. But as things stand, he will not represent the Croatia national football team at the FIFA World Cup 2026. His performances for SL Benfica have not been up to the mark this season.

There is competition for the No. 9 position under Zlatko Dalic. Ante Budimir, Petar Musa and Igor Matanović can all play as strikers.

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