Zlatko Dalić ended his tenure on Croatia's bench: the departure of the most successful head coach after almost nine years
Zlatko Dalić concluded his tenure as head coach of the Croatian national football team after the 2026 World Cup, the Croatian Football Federation announced on 08 July 2026. According to the Federation's announcement, Dalić informed president Marijan Kustić at a meeting at the HNS headquarters in Zagreb that he had completed his journey on the bench of the Vatreni. This ended a period that the Croatian Football Federation described as the departure of the most successful head coach in the national team's history. Dalić made the decision after the end of Croatia's campaign at the world tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, where Croatia was eliminated in the round of 32 against Portugal. In his farewell message, he emphasized that he was leaving "with a fulfilled heart" and proud of the results the national team achieved during his tenure.
The decision has a strong sporting and symbolic resonance because it closes one of the most stable periods in the modern history of the Croatian national team. Dalić took over the team in October 2017, at a moment when Croatia was under pressure in the closing stage of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and he is leaving it after three World Cup cycles, two European Championships and a Nations League final. According to HNS data, with the national team he won the silver medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, bronze at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and silver in the UEFA Nations League in 2023. The Federation also states that, along with appearing at the 2026 World Cup, he secured qualification for EURO 2020 and EURO 2024. In the Croatian football context, this is an achievement that clearly sets him apart from all previous head coaches.
Decision after elimination in Toronto
The immediate competitive framework of Dalić's departure was the end of Croatia's appearance at the 2026 World Cup. According to the HNS match report, Croatia lost to Portugal 2:1 in Toronto on 03 July 2026 in the round of 32, although it had taken the lead through Ivan Perišić's goal in the 53rd minute. HNS states that Cristiano Ronaldo equalized at 1:1 from a penalty kick in the 68th minute, and Gonçalo Ramos gave Portugal victory in the fourth minute of stoppage time. In the closing stage, Joško Gvardiol shook the net for a possible equalizer, but the goal was disallowed after an offside was called in the move that preceded the final shot. Such an outcome left Croatia outside the round of 16 and opened the question of the continuation of the head coach's mandate, which in any case had been tied to the end of the World Cup cycle.
For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA introduced an expanded format with 48 national teams, 12 groups and an additional knockout round of 32, so the tournament had a different structure from the editions at which Croatia won medals under Dalić. According to FIFA's official information, after the groups, the first-placed and second-placed teams from each group advanced, as did the eight best third-placed national teams. According to HNS, after finishing second in Group L, Croatia played Portugal for a place in the round of 16. The defeat in Toronto did not change the overall picture of Dalić's tenure, but it became the natural point at which the head coach decided to close the cycle. In his farewell message, he said that he still feels ambition, but that he believes the right moment has come to end the era.
The greatest results of Croatian football under one head coach
Dalić's tenure will above all be remembered for three medals from major competitions. According to the HNS overview of achievements, in 2018 in Russia Croatia won the silver medal at the FIFA World Cup, which until then had been the national team's greatest result. Four years later, at the tournament in Qatar, Dalić's team won the bronze medal and thereby confirmed that the Russian result had not been an isolated peak of one generation. The third major result came in 2023 in the UEFA Nations League, when Croatia reached the final in Rotterdam. UEFA stated in its official final report that Spain won the title after a penalty shootout, while Croatia finished the competition with the silver medal.
Those results gave Dalić's tenure a continuity that is rare in national-team football. In less than nine years, Croatia under his leadership played in a World Cup final, a semifinal of another World Cup, a Nations League final and several major tournaments. In its farewell announcement, HNS called him by far the most successful and longest-serving head coach in Croatia's history, which is based both on the duration of his tenure and on the medals won. In his own message, Dalić highlighted the victories over England and Brazil as great nights of Croatian football, referring to the 2018 World Cup semifinal and the 2022 World Cup quarterfinal. In both cases, these were matches that deeply marked the national team's international reputation.
Dalić: the hardest decision in my head-coaching career
In the statement published by the Croatian Football Federation, Dalić said that the role of head coach requires many difficult decisions, but that this one was the hardest for him. He emphasized that he considered leading the national team the greatest honor and a job that could not be more important, more responsible or more beautiful. In his words, when he took over the team he believed in the players and in his own work, but he could not have imagined the scale of the success that would follow. He especially highlighted his pride in the victories, qualifications for major competitions, three medals and the unity that, as he stated, was created within the team and around the national side. As an important part of that experience, he also mentioned the welcomes after the World Cup medals, events that showed how much the national team's results had a wider social resonance.
In his farewell message, Dalić thanked the members of the coaching staff, doctors, physiotherapists, kit managers and HNS logistics, stating that such results cannot be achieved without great collective work. He thanked the Federation's leaders for their support, the fans for their backing and the media who, in his words, helped create a positive atmosphere around the national team with constructive criticism. He addressed special thanks to his family, emphasizing that without their support his journey as head coach would not have been possible. In the part of the message dedicated to the players, he said that he had been privileged to lead a generation headed by captain Luka Modrić, as well as the older internationals from the Russian cycle and the younger players who gradually took on increasingly important roles. He emphasized that the players, through their behavior and approach, showed what the national team means to them.
Modrić, the senators and the new generation as the center of the project
One of the main characteristics of Dalić's tenure was the ability to keep a core of experienced players in the same team while gradually including younger footballers. In his farewell statement, he particularly mentioned Luka Modrić, the captain who marked the entire period, but also the "senators" from the generation that played in the 2018 World Cup final. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of young players who joined the national team during the cycles and took on responsibility. Such a balance was key to Croatia remaining competitive after the departures or reduced roles of some players from the most successful generation. Dalić said that the national team has a bright future as long as the players experience the shirt as a special honor and responsibility.
The HNS announcement places Dalić's departure within the story of the end of an "incredible era", but does not present it as a break with the national team's previous values. On the contrary, the head coach emphasized in his message that he wishes his successor, the national team and Croatian football new successes. In that respect, it is important that in the announcement about the departure, the Federation did not at the same time announce the name of a new head coach. This means that the choice of successor will be HNS's first major decision after the end of one of the most successful tenures in European national-team football over the past decade. The new head coach will inherit a team that has a strong competitive identity, but also the task of continuing generational renewal after the 2026 World Cup.
Kustić: Dalić marked the national team's most glorious period
HNS president Marijan Kustić thanked Dalić in a separate announcement for everything he brought to Croatian football and sport. Kustić said that Dalić believed in the national team from the first moment and transferred that belief to the players, with whom he achieved successes that, as he stated, will be spoken about for generations. According to the Federation president, the silver in Russia, the bronze in Qatar and the Nations League final are not only results, but also memories that marked millions of fans. Kustić particularly emphasized that, in addition to the results, the manner in which Dalić led the team will be remembered. He described him as a head coach who was dignified in victories and defeats, did not look for alibis and did not forget what it means to represent Croatia.
In the same message, Kustić stated that Dalić's legacy cannot be measured only by medals, trophies and statistics, even though by those criteria he is the most successful Croatian head coach. According to the HNS announcement, the Federation president assessed that Dalić showed how unity, work and character can push the limits of what is possible. Such wording reflects the key theme of Dalić's tenure: the national team built its results on a strong dressing room, clearly established roles and exceptional resilience in high-pressure matches. In a sporting sense, Dalić's departure opens the question of whether that model can continue after the change of the man who shaped it for years. In an institutional sense, HNS must decide whether it will build the new cycle through continuity of the staff and playing core or through a more visible shift.
A legacy that goes beyond one result
Dalić's departure comes at a moment when international football is significantly different from 2017, when he took over the national team. The World Cup has been expanded to 48 national teams, the calendar is denser, the Nations League has gained greater competitive weight, and public pressure on head coaches has been additionally intensified by digital media and a constant cycle of analysis. In such an environment, continuity on the bench of a national team has become even harder to maintain. Dalić managed to keep a high level of results and stability for almost nine years, which is especially valuable because national-team head coaches have limited time to work with players. His tenure showed that small football markets, with a good generation and a clear team culture, can regularly be competitive with the greatest national teams.
For Croatia, a period now begins in which Dalić's results will increasingly be used as the benchmark for future head coaches. This is both recognition and a burden, because three medals in five years can hardly be a standard that is simply repeated. According to the available information from HNS announcements of 08 July 2026, the first step after Dalić's departure will be defining the successor and the direction of the new cycle. The national team has behind it the experience of major matches, some players who carried the most successful period and younger footballers who already have tournament minutes. Dalić leaves as the head coach under whom Croatia reached the highest levels of world football, and the question that remains is how the Federation and the team will turn his legacy into the foundation of the next phase.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – announcement on Zlatko Dalić's departure from the position of head coach after the 2026 World Cup. (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – statement by president Marijan Kustić on Dalić's departure and legacy. (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – match report from Portugal - Croatia 2:1 at the 2026 World Cup. (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – official overview of Croatian national-team achievements and major results by the Vatreni. (link)
- FIFA – official information on the format, participants and schedule of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (link)
- UEFA – official information on the 2023 UEFA Nations League final between Croatia and Spain. (link)