Croatia opened the new edition of the League of Nations with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague. That victory also marked the start of the second term for Slaven Bilic at the helm of the national team.
Croatia competes in the group against Spain, England and the Czech Republic. The results in the League of Nations will directly affect the path to the European Championship in 2028, as UEFA has changed the competition format.
The draw for the Euro qualifiers will take place on 6 December 2026 in Belfast, three weeks after the end of the group stage. It will be based on the temporary overall ranking of the 2026/27 League of Nations. After the group stage, the 16 members of League A will be ranked from first to 16th place. The winners of the four groups will take positions 1 to 4, the runners-up from 5 to 8, and the third-placed teams from 9 to 12. Teams finishing in the same position are compared based on points, goal difference and other criteria. This ranking will be used by UEFA when determining the seeding in the Euro qualifiers. The top two places lead to the semi-finals of the League of Nations.
The League of Nations can serve as a backup path to Euro 2028 if the national team fails to qualify through the regular qualifiers. In the qualifiers, there will be 12 groups of four or five teams. The 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up will qualify directly for the European Championship, while the remaining four runners-up will enter the play-offs. Additional spots in the play-offs will be filled by teams based on the League of Nations. The regulations stipulate that between four and nine spots in the play-offs will be allocated to the winners of the groups in League A who have not yet qualified for the European Championship or the play-offs through the qualifiers. The ranking is determined by the overall ranking in the League of Nations, and if any spots remain open after that, they will be awarded to the best-ranked teams in the League of Nations that have not qualified through another route.
Croatia plays against Spain on 29 September, followed by a match against England on 3 October. The group stage ends on 15 November.
