Croatia begin World Cup preparations ahead of Ghana clash

Croatia national football team, one of Ghana national football team’s opponents in Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, have begun preparations for the tournament with a training camp in Rijeka.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up started training on Monday, 25 May, as preparations intensify ahead of the competition in North America.

Croatia are expected to remain in the country until 9 June before travelling to the United States for the tournament, which will also be hosted by Canada and Mexico.

Several members of the squad first reported to the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb before making the journey to Rijeka for their opening training session under head coach Zlatko Dalić.

Among the early arrivals was deputy captain Ivan Perišić, alongside Dominik Livaković, Luka Vušković, Martin Erlić, Kristijan Jakić, Toni Fruk, Igor Matanović and Dominik Kotarski.

The remainder of the squad are expected to report before 29 May as Croatia continue to assemble a full group for the final stages of preparation.

Croatia have also scheduled two warm-up matches before the World Cup begins.

They will face the Belgium national football team on 2 June in Rijeka before concluding preparations against the Slovenia national football team on 7 June in Varaždin.

A social media post from the Croatian Football Federation accompanied images from the opening session with the message: “First #Croatia practice session”.

Croatia are set to begin their World Cup campaign against the England national football team in Group L before taking on the Panama national football team and Ghana in their remaining group matches.

The Eastern European side enter the tournament carrying strong World Cup pedigree after reaching the final in 2018, where they finished as runners-up.

Meanwhile, Ghana have also started their preparations for the competition, with the Black Stars assembling in Wales for the opening phase of their training camp.

Ghana are due to face the Welsh national side in a friendly on 2 June before travelling to Boston to continue preparations for the tournament.

The Black Stars and Croatia are set to meet in the final round of Group L fixtures, in a match that could have a significant impact on qualification for the knockout stage.

Both teams are now entering the final weeks of preparation as the countdown continues towards the start of the expanded 48-team World Cup next month.

Andrews Sefa Bamfo

Andrews Sefa Bamfo is a promising young football writer and reporter, recognised as one of the rising talents in African football journalism. He specialises in match reporting, features and on-ground coverage, bringing fresh perspective and energy to the industry.He is educated at the University of Ghana and has gained valuable experience working with one of Ghana’s leading media organisations, TV3, where he developed his skills in both television reporting and football journalism.Andrews’ talent and potential were further recognised when he was selected for the prestigious CAF Young Reporters Programme, where he received advanced media training in partnership with CANAL+. This exposure has helped shape his understanding of modern sports journalism and storytelling.Since then, he has continued to grow in the field and is widely regarded as one of the emerging voices in African football media. He is currently a Staff Writer at African.Football, contributing to the platform’s coverage with insightful reports and engaging content for a global audience.

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