- by croatiaweek
- January 19, 2026
- in
Ivan Perišić
The Croatian national football team will face Belgium in a prestigious international friendly on 2 June at HNK Rijeka’s Stadion Rujevica, as preparations continue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) confirmed today.
The match has been agreed by the HNS and the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), bringing together two nations ranked inside FIFA’s top ten as of December 2025. Rijeka will serve as Croatia’s preparation base ahead of the tournament, making the fixture a key part of the Vatreni’s final build-up.
Croatia and Belgium have met nine times previously, with the record perfectly balanced: three wins for Croatia, three draws and three Belgian victories.
Their most recent encounter came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when Croatia secured a goalless draw that ensured progression to the knockout stages.
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić underlined the importance of facing elite opposition during the preparation period.
“We do not shy away from the strongest opponents in friendly matches because that is the best way to see where we stand and what we need to improve,” Dalić said. “Belgium have been among the world’s top ten teams for years and they are an excellent test ahead of our opening World Cup match against England. They are physically strong, technically excellent and have dangerous, fast attackers.
“We have organised everything in good time — from the training camp to friendly matches and the overall preparation plan. Now our focus is on closely monitoring all candidates, hoping for good health, form and club status, and then preparing as thoroughly as possible for what awaits us in North America.”
Ticket sale information for the Croatia v Belgium match will be announced in due course via official HNS channels.
The Belgium fixture will be Croatia’s penultimate friendly before travelling to their base camp in Alexandria, where the team will stay during the group stage of the World Cup. Earlier in the year, Croatia will play Colombia on 26 March and Brazil on 31 March in Orlando. A final friendly, to be played in Croatia before departure to the United States, will be confirmed at a later date.
Croatia will open their World Cup campaign on 17 June in Dallas against England, with kick-off at 22:00 CET. The second group match will be played on 23 June against Panama in Toronto (24 June at 01:00 CET), followed by the final group fixture on 27 June against Ghana in Philadelphia, starting at 23:00 CET.