At the 1998 FIFA World Cup Croatia participated for in the event for the first time. The country went on to finish third place in the tournament.
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Qualifications
Croatia was drawn into Group A of UEFA's World Cup qualifications along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia. Croatia finished second, behind Denmark, and qualified for the World Cup. The team had the following results:
The final standings were the following:
Croatia at the World Cup
At the World Cup, Croatia was drawn into Group H along with Argentina, Jamaica, Japan. The team advanced to the round of sixteen, finishing in second place in the group. The team had the following results:
June 14, 1998
June 20, 1998
June 26, 1998
Croatia went on to face the Romanian squad in the round of sixteen.
June 30, 1998
Croatia then played the heavily favoured German squad in the quarter-finals after their victory over Romania.
June 29, 1998
After this surprise victory, Croatia played the host French team.
July 8, 1998
Croatia lost the match against France, ending their World Cup dreams. However, they entered the third place consolation match against the Netherlands.
July 11, 1998
With this victory, Croatia finished in third, becoming the surprise of the tournament. Striker Davor Šuker also earned the tournament's Golden Boot for his six goals.
Croatia Squad
Head coach: Miroslav Blažević