Croatia eliminated from World Cup after 2-1 loss to Portugal

Croatia's national team was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup after a 2‑1 defeat to Portugal, marking the country's first exit in the knockout phase without securing a medal. The loss left Croatia in 13th place on the FIFA ranking, with 1,723.05 points, a position it is likely to retain for the remainder of the tournament.

Players and officials reacted strongly. Defender Joško Gvardiol posted on Instagram, saying, "Croatia is emotion, character, unity of players, fans and the whole nation… it hurts because we gave everything and believed to the end." Ivan Perišić highlighted the controversy over a disallowed goal, while the team's coach criticized refereeing decisions and FIFA's VAR handling. FIFA later released graphics illustrating the disputed touch by the Portuguese player.

The outcome also sparked a wave of commentary from Croatian media and the public, with figures such as Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and former coach Nenad Bjelica weighing in on the match and the broader implications for Croatian football.