​Croatian national team manager Zlatko Dalic has stepped down from his post after his side’s elimination in the Round of 32 at the World Cup, the Croatian Football Federation announced on Wednesday. Dalic, who took charge of the national team in 2017, guided Croatia to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and a third-place finish at the 2022 edition in Qatar. He also oversaw a runner-up finish for Croatia in the 2023 UEFA Nations League, highlighting a period of sustained success and consistency for a nation with a relatively small pool of top-tier players and a proud footballing pedigree.
“The role of a selector demands many tough decisions, but this one has certainly been the hardest for me,” Dalic said, as quoted by the federation. “I’ve always said there’s no greater honor than leading your national team, and that I couldn’t have a more important, responsible or beautiful job than this.” He added, reflecting on his tenure, that the journey with Croatia had surpassed even his own ambitious expectations: “When I took over the national team, I believed in the players’ quality and in myself, but I didn’t dare dream that we’d achieve everything we have over these nearly nine years.”
Under Dalic’s leadership, Croatia developed a reputation for its resilience, tactical discipline and depth of squad strength. The team’s World Cup performances—most notably the dramatic run to the final in 2018, where they finished as runners-up to France after a series of stubborn, collective displays—captured the imagination of fans around the world and cemented Croatia’s status as a perennial threat in major international tournaments. Dalic’s tenure also featured a bold ability to extract peak performances from a squad that blended seasoned veterans with emergent talents, producing a tactical blueprint that leveraged Croatia’s strengths in organization, pressing intensity, and counter-attacking poise.
At the time of his departure, Croatia sat 13th in the FIFA world rankings, a testament to the country’s continued standing among the globe’s elite footballing nations. In their World Cup group, Group L, Croatia posted a 2-1-0 record, finishing behind group winner England, which sits at No. 4 in the world rankings. The Croatians advanced to the knockout stages but were eliminated in the Round of 32 in a match that saw them face Portugal, ranked No. 7, in Toronto. The loss marked the end of Dalic’s latest World Cup cycle, a campaign that both reflected the team’s enduring quality and underscored the challenge of translating long-term merit into the ultimate prize on the world stage.
Dalic’s decision to resign comes after a period of reflection on what it means to lead a national team. He has consistently underscored the honor involved in serving as the nation’s manager, emphasizing that the role requires balancing expectations, pressures, and the responsibility to shape a squad capable of competing at the highest level. By acknowledging the difficulty of the decision, Dalic highlighted the emotional and professional gravity of stepping away after guiding Croatia through nearly a decade of high-stakes international football.
Looking ahead, the Croatian Football Federation will begin the process of identifying a successor who can build on Dalic’s foundations while continuing to nurture the talent pipeline that has allowed the nation to punch above its weight in global football. The task for Croatia’s next manager will involve maintaining the team’s organizational rigor, fostering a unified squad spirit, and ensuring that the next generation of players can contribute to a sustained period of competitive performance across Europe and the world.
Dalic’s legacy with Croatia is marked by a blend of achievement, leadership and resilience. He will be remembered for his ability to galvanize a squad with limited but high-quality resources, to instill a clear tactical framework, and to cultivate a culture of never-say-die attitude on the pitch. The World Cup journey, including the near-miss of a historic semifinal and the heartbreak of a Round of 32 exit in the most recent cycle, will be part of a broader narrative about a manager who consistently elevated Croatia’s standing on the world stage. As the federation moves forward, fans and analysts will be watching closely to see how the next chapter unfolds for a national team that has repeatedly defied expectations and left an undeniable mark on international football.