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Croatia may not be ranked among the favorites in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but the team has earned great respect among football enthusiasts around the globe. One of the newest but strongest teams in the world, the Croatian football team played and won its first match on 17th October 1990 vs USA. Earlier Croatia was a part of Yugoslavian Federation, and declared its independence on 25th June 1991. Croatia became a member of FIFA in 1992, but it couldn't participate in the 1994 World Cup qualifying due to its late inclusion into FIFA. The first major tournament for the Croatian team was the European Championship 1996, where they were quarter-finalists.
Croatia's FIFA World Cup experience so far has been short but very sweet. The Croatian team participated and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where they impressed the whole world with their incredible performance. | They stunned Germany in the 1998 world cup quarterfinals (3-0), and lost narrowly (2-1) to France in the semi-final, finishing 3rd in the event after defeating the Netherlands 2-1. Since then there is no looking back for the Croatian team, and today it's considered as a challenging and strong force in international football. Croatia has produced several world-class players, including the legendary Davor Suker, who was the Golden Boot winner at the 1998 World Cup in France.
The current Croatian squad is one of the strongest and most difficult sides to beat in the world, and even champions feel insecure against it. Croatia qualified in their third successive FIFA World Cup finals by finishing top of European qualifying Group 8. The team remained undefeated in the 1998 World Cup qualifying with 7 wins in 10 matches, including 1-0 wins over Sweden twice. The FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany will be the 3rd world cup appearance for the Croatian team, and coach Zlatko Kranjcar and captain Nico Kovac has their squad ready to rumble.
The strength of the 2006 World Cup squad of Croatia lies in its strong midfielders and defenders, with veteran campaigners Igor Tudor, Niko Kovac, and Robert Kovac leading the team from the front. The star striker Dado Prsa and rising star Niko Kranjcar have potential to break and penetrate any kind of defense. In the FIFA World Cup 2006, Croatia is placed in Group F, along with world champion Brazil, Japan, and Australia. The team will play its first match against Brazil at Berlin on June 13, 2006. With the good talent the current Croatian squad has, it just might reach to quarters, semis, or even final. The Croatian football team has power and talent to surprise any team in the world, and it would be a favorite team to watch in the forthcoming FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany.
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