2026 FIFA WORLD CUP PREVIEW: CROATIA FACE UPHILL BATTLE AGAINST UNBEATEN GHANA IN GROUP L ROUND 3 FIXTURE
By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike)
Predictions: Home win/draw
• The Blazers of Croatia welcome the Black Stars of Ghana to the Philadelphia Stadium in the USA for the Group L Round 3 fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, June 27, 2026, in a thrilling encounter.
• Head-to-Head
• Croatia and Ghana's encounter at the Group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be their official first-ever meeting.
• Recent Performance:
• Croatia's Recent Performance:
• Croatia's last group stage game saw them triumph for the first time in the competition this edition, 1-0 over Panama on June 23, courtesy of Ante Budimir at the Toronto Stadium in Canada, a victory that kept Croatia's knock-out hopes alive.
• In their last six games in all competitions, they have three wins and three losses. Croatia has scored eight (8) and conceded eleven (11) in those games, scoring first in two of the six contests. They had four first-half goals, while their opponents netted five times in the first 45 minutes.
• Ghana's Recent Performance:
• The Black Stars of Ghana have won one, drawn two, and lost three in their last six games in all competitions. Ghana scored four and conceded 10 over that period, netting first in two of the six. All of their goals came after halftime, while their opponents scored three times before the break.
• Ghana played out a 0-0 against England in their Group L match on day 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 23 at the Boston Stadium in the USA, extending their unbeaten streak to three in all competitions.
• Ghana is second in the Group on four points, while Croatia's three points place them third.
• There have been 196 goals scored in 66 matches for the ongoing FIFA World Cup, for an average of 2.97 goals per match (as of June 26, 2026).
• The trio of Martin Baturina, Petar Musa, and Ante Budimir are the team's joint top scorers with one goal each, and Caleb Yirenkyi is the player to score Ghana's only goal in this season's World Cup.
• Match Facts:
• The Blazers of Croatia are ranked 11th by the FIFA latest rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 3rd in July 1998.
• Their first international game was on October 17, 1990 (Croatia 2-1 United States) in Zagreb, Croatia.
• The Black Stars of Ghana are ranked 73rd in the FIFA rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 14th in April - May 2007 and February 2008.
• Their first international game was on May 28, 1950 (Gold Coast and British Togoland 1-0 Nigeria) in Accra, British Gold Coast.
• Player Records:
• Croatia's most capped player: Luka Modric (200 caps, 29 goals).
• Ghana's most capped player: Jordan Pierre Ayew (122 caps, 34 goals).
• Croatia's all-time top scorer: Davor Suker (45 goals, 68 caps).
• Ghana's all-time top scorer: Asamoah Gyan (51 goals, 109 caps).
• Team Information:
• Croatia is located in Europe and is part of the UEFA Confederation.
• Ghana is located in Africa and is part of the WAFU Confederation.
• The Ghana Football Association (GFA)was founded in 1957 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1958 and CAF in 1960.
• The GFA made history by becoming the first African association to connect to the FIFA Connect Platform, a system designed to register and track players and officials globally.
• The Blazers of Croatia first appeared at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and took bronze as the third-place team of that edition.
• The 2026 edition of the tournament marks Croatia's 7th appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
• Should Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic start against Ghana, they could become the first Croatians to start 20 FIFA World Cup games; only three countries have ever had multiple players start 20+ World Cup matches (Germany - 5, Argentina - 3, and Poland - 2).
• The Blazers of Croatia have lost one of their last eight (8) group stage matches at the FIFA World Cup (W5 D2), keeping five (5) clean sheets in those matches.
• 40 out of 54 active CAF members who belong to FIFA have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup tournament since its inception in 1930.
• African Teams Debuts at the FIFA World Cup tournament:
• Egypt (1934)
• Morocco (1970)
• DR Congo [Zaire] (1974)
• Tunisia (1978)
• Algeria, Cameroon (1982)
• Nigeria (1994)
• South Africa (1998)
• Senegal (2002)
• Ghana, Angola, Ivory Coast, Togo (2006)
• Cape Verde (2026)
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the Black Stars of Ghana 5th appearances at the tournaments (2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026).
• Ghana's best performance in the World Cup tournament was reaching the Quarter-finals in 2010 in South Africa.
• Jordan Pierre Ayew is the fifth captain to have led Ghana to the FIFA World Cup tournament:
• Stephen Appiah (2006 in Germany)
• John Mensah (2010 in South Africa)
• Asamoah Gyan (2014 in Brazil)
• Andre Dede Ayew (2022 in Qatar)
• Jordan Pierre Ayew (2026 in Mexico, Canada, and the United States)
• In their 0-0 draw with England, Ghana's Marvin Senaya made seven tackles, the most ever made by one player in a single FIFA World Cup game for the Black Stars.
• Black Stars of Ghana have failed to progress out of the Group stages in their last 2 editions of the FIFA World Cup (2014 and 2022).
• Before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ghana had kept two (2) clean sheets in 15 games in the competition, but in the 2026 edition, Ghana has kept 2 clean sheets already. No African team has ever kept three clean sheets in a single group stage in the tournament's history.
• Ghana (73rd) will be the second-lowest FIFA-ranked team Croatia will face at the FIFA World Cup, after Russia in 2018 (70th). The Blazers have never lost to a side ranked 40 or lower in the competition (P6: W4 D2).
• Additional Facts:
• Two Nations' match Day 3 fixtures at the FIFA World Cup:
• Croatia has won once in their previous match Day 3 games at the FIFA World Cup (W1 D2 L3 GF5 GA8):
• 26/06/1998 Argentina 1-0 Croatia (MD3) [1998 World Cup]
• 13/06/2002 Ecuador 1-0 Croatia (MD3) [2002 World Cup]
• 22/06/2006 Croatia 2-2 Australia (MD3) [2006 World Cup]
• 23/06/2014 Croatia 1-3 Mexico (MD3) [2014 World Cup]
• 26/06/2018 Iceland 1-2 Croatia (MD3) [2018 World Cup]
• 01/12/2022 Croatia 0-0 Belgium (MD3) [2022 World Cup]
• Ghana has won once in their previous match Day 3 games at the FIFA World Cup (W1 L3 GF3 GA6):
• 22/06/2006 Ghana 2-1 United States (MD3) [2006 World Cup]
• 23/06/2010 Ghana 0-1 Germany (MD3) [2010 World Cup]
• 26/06/2014 Portugal 2-1 Ghana (MD3) [2014 World Cup]
• 02/12/2022 Ghana 0-2 Uruguay (MD3) [2022 World Cup]
• Ghana has conceded in each of their previous match Day 3 games at the FIFA World Cup (conceding 6 goals in 4 games)
• This fixture will be Croatia's first match on Day 3 against African opposition at the FIFA World Cup.
• Ghana has conceded in each of their match Day 3 games against European opponents at the FIFA World Cup:
• 23/06/2010 Ghana 0-1 Germany (MD3) [2010 World Cup]
• 26/06/2014 Portugal 2-1 Ghana (MD3) [2014 World Cup]
• Zlatko Dalic of Croatia is yet to lose a match day 3 game at the FIFA World Cup:
• 26/06/2018 Iceland 1-2 Croatia (MD3) [2018 World Cup]
• 01/12/2022 Croatia 0-0 Belgium (MD3) [2022 World Cup]
• Zlatko Dalic's side has gone past the Group stages of the FIFA World Cup in his previous 2 attempts.
• Carlos Queiroz of Ghana is yet to win a match on Day 3 of the FIFA World Cup (D2 L2 GF2 GA5):
• 25/06/2010 Portugal 0-0 Brazil (MD3) [2010 World Cup]
• 25/06/2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Iran (MD3) [2014 World Cup]
• 25/06/2018 Iran 1-1 Portugal (MD3) [2018 World Cup]
• 29/11/2022 Iran 0-1 USA (MD3) [2022 World Cup]
• Carlos Queiroz's side has conceded in each of their last three editions of match day 3 fixtures in the FIFA World Cup: (Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Iran in 2014, Iran 1-1 Portugal in 2018, Iran 0-1 USA in 2022) [conceding 5 goals in 3 games].
• Croatia against African opponents at the FIFA World Cup:
• Croatia is unbeaten in their previous games against African opposition at the FIFA World Cup (W3 D1 GF8 GA1):
• 18/06/14 Cameroon 0-4 Croatia (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 16/06/2018 Croatia 2-0 Nigeria (Group Stage) [2018 World Cup],
• 23/11/2022 Morocco 0-0 Croatia (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]
• 17/12/2022 Croatia 2-1 Morocco (Third-place) [2022 World Cup]
• Croatia vs Ghana game also represents the Blazers' fourth different African opponent at the FIFA World Cup (after Cameroon, Nigeria, and Morocco).
• Ghana against European opponents at the FIFA World Cup (W2 D2 L4 GF8 GA10):
• 12/06/2006 Italy 2-0 Ghana (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 17/06/2006 Czech Republic 0-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 13/06/2010 Serbia 0-1 Ghana (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 23/06/2010 Ghana 0-1 Germany (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 21/06/2014 Germany 2-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 26/06/2014 Portugal 2-1 Ghana (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 24/11/22 Portugal 3-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]
• 23/06/2026 England 0-0 Ghana (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on June 27:
• Croatia's encounter with Ghana will be the Blazers' first game at the FIFA World Cup on June 27.
• Ghana lost its only previous game at the FIFA World Cup on June 27:
• 27/06/2010 Brazil 3-0 Ghana (Round of 16) [2006 World Cup]
• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on Saturday:
• Croatia are unbeaten in their previous FIFA World Cup games on Saturday (W6 D1 GF14 GA5):
• 20/06/1998 Japan 0-1 Croatia (Group Stage) [1998 World Cup]
• 04/07/1998 Germany 0-3 Croatia (Quarter-finals) [1998 World Cup]
• 11/07/1998 Netherlands 1-2 Croatia (Third-place) [1998 World Cup]
• 08/06/2002 Italy 1-2 Croatia (Group Stage) [2002 World Cup]
• 16/06/2018 Croatia 2-0 Nigeria (Group Stage) [2018 World Cup]
• 07/07/2018 Russia 2-2 Croatia a.e.t. (3-4p) [Quarter-finals] {2018 World Cup}
• 17/12/2022 Croatia 2-1 Morocco (Third-place) [2022 World Cup]
• Ghana are unbeaten at the FIFA World Cup on Saturday (W2 D2 GF7 GA4):
• 17/06/2006 Czech Republic 0-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 19/06/2010 Ghana 1-1 Australia (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 26/06/2010 United States 1-2 Ghana (Round of 16) [2010 World Cup]
• 21/06/2014 Germany 2-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• Ghana has scored in each of their FIFA World Cup games played on Saturday (scoring 7 goals in 4 games).
• Match officials:
• 45-year-old Canadian Referee, Drew Fischer, to officiate the Croatia vs Ghana game.
• This fixture will be the first time a referee from Canada will officiate a Croatia game at the FIFA World Cup, but the fifth time a referee from the CONCACAF Confederation or North America has handled a Croatia game at the tournament since 1998 (W1 D1 L2 GF2 GA3).
• 20/06/1998 (Group Stage) [1998 World Cup]
Venue: Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Japan 0-1 Croatia
Davor Suker 77'
Referee: Ramesh Ramdhan (Trinidad and Tobago) [CONCACAF] {North America}
• 13/06/2002 (Group Stage) [2002 World Cup]
Venue: International Stadium Yokohama
Ecuador 1-0 Croatia
Edison Mendez 48'
Referee: William Mattus (Costa Rica) [CONCACAF] {North America}
• 13/06/2006 (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
Venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin
Brazil 1-0 Croatia
Kaka 44'
Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico) [CONCACAF] {North America}
• 05/12/2022 (Round of 16) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Japan 1-1 Croatia a.e.t. (1-3 pen)
Maeda 43'//Perisic 55'
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) [CONCACAF] {North America}
• This will be the first time a referee from Canada will officiate a Ghana game at the FIFA World Cup, but the third time a referee from the CONCACAF Confederation or North America has handled a Ghana game at the competition since 2006.
• Ghana will be chasing their first win at the FIFA World Cup in a game in which a referee from the CONCACAF Confederation or North America has officiated (D1 L1 GF2 GA3).
• 24/11/2022 (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Stadium 974, Doha
Portugal 3-2 Ghana
Cristiano Ronaldo 65' (pen), Joao Felix 78', Rafael Leao 80'//Andre Dede Ayew 73', Osman Bukari 89'
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) [CONCACAF] {North America}
• 23/06/2026 (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
Venue: Boston Stadium, USA
England 0-0 Ghana
Referee: Hector Said Martinez Sorto (Honduras) [CONCACAF] {North America}
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