Croatia vs Ghana, Worldcup 2026 GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Match Details
- Referee Drew Fischer
- Assistant 1 Michael Barwegen (USA)
- Assistant 2 Lyes Arfa
16 games this season
🟨 2.7/game
⚽ 11.3 goals/game
🟥 1 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Czechia | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Canada | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Qatar | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Brazil | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Morocco | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Scotland | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | Haiti | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | United States | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Australia | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 3 | 4 |
| 16 | Turkey | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Germany | 3 | 6 |
| 18 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Ecuador | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | Curacao | 3 | 1 |
| 21 | Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| 22 | Japan | 3 | 5 |
| 23 | Sweden | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | Belgium | 3 | 5 |
| 26 | Egypt | 3 | 5 |
| 27 | Iran | 3 | 3 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Spain | 3 | 7 |
| 30 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 3 |
| 31 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | France | 3 | 9 |
| 34 | Norway | 3 | 6 |
| 35 | Senegal | 3 | 3 |
| 36 | Iraq | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Argentina | 3 | 9 |
| 38 | Austria | 3 | 4 |
| 39 | Algeria | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | Jordan | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Colombia | 3 | 7 |
| 42 | Portugal | 3 | 5 |
| 43 | Congo DR | 3 | 4 |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 |
| 45 | England | 3 | 7 |
| 46 | Croatia | 3 | 6 |
| 47 | Ghana | 3 | 4 |
| 48 | Panama | 3 | 0 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
Season Stats
| Croatia | Ghana | |
|---|---|---|
| #46 | Position | #47 |
| 6 | Points | 4 |
| 3 | Played | 3 |
| 2 / 0 / 1 | W / D / L | 1 / 1 / 1 |
| 5 | Scored | 2 |
| 5 | Conceded | 2 |
| +0 | GD | +0 |
| 2.00 | PPG | 1.33 |
| 67% | Win % | 33% |
Key Stats
100%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (1 games)
H2H (1 games)
100%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
33%
Clean Sheets
Croatia this season
Croatia this season
67%
Clean Sheets
Ghana this season
Ghana this season
Croatia are 46th (6 pts). Ghana are 47th (4 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Croatia
0-15
–/1
16-30
–/–
31-45
3/1
46-60
1/1
61-75
–/1
76+
1/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Ghana
0-15
–/–
16-30
–/–
31-45
–/1
46-60
–/–
61-75
1/–
76+
1/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' Croatia have kicked off against Ghana. Both sides are eager to make an early statement.
- 5' named a 4-2-3-1 earlier, and opted for a 4-1-2-3 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 10' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 15' A quiet spell here at Lincoln Financial Field. Ghana seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 20' Croatia are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Ghana backline.
- 25' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 30' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 31' The deadlock is broken! Petar Sucic gets on the scoresheet on 31 minutes.
- 36' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 36 minutes.
- 41' Although teams showed high tempo form the start, they seem to slow down a bit. Both sides really need to catch a fire. Otherwise, we have another goalless match.
- 46' The crowd applauds Jonas Adjei Adjetey as he leaves the pitch. Kojo Peprah Oppong steps in for Ghana.
- 51' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 56' It looks like no one’s ball. Croatia is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 61' Croatia international Ante Budimir has been a key figure this campaign — 4 goals and 1 assists in the Array this season.
- 66' Croatia have won 45 goals from 168 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 67' The crowd applauds Ante Budimir as he leaves the pitch. Igor Matanovic steps in for Croatia.
- 68' Croatia player sees a card in front of him.
- 72' The Ghana bench stirs into life. Jordan Ayew is withdrawn and Brandon Thomas-Asante gets his opportunity.
- 73' The deadlock is broken! Derrick Luckassen gets on the scoresheet on 73 minutes.
- 78' It is a substitution in Croatia team. Mateo Kovacic is replaced by Marco Pasalic on 78 minute.
- 83' The deadlock is broken! Nikola Vlasic gets on the scoresheet on 83 minutes.
- 85' A tactical swap from Ghana — Caleb Yirenkyi on, Kwasi Sibo off on 85 minutes.
- 88' The supporters are chanting for Marco Pasalic. He replaces Martin Baturina on 88 minute.
- 90' That looks like a foul for a card for Kojo Peprah Oppong.
- Another three points for Croatia.
Lineups
Croatia Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
-
8
Mateo Kovacic ↓ Mario Pasalic 78'
- 10
-
11
Ante Budimir ↓ Igor Matanovic 67'
- 14
- 1
- 3
-
13
Nikola Vlasic ↓ Josko Gvardiol 88'
- 6
- 17
- 2
-
16
Martin Baturina ↓ Marco Pasalic 88'
Bench
- 23
- 5
- 9
-
15
Mario Pasalic ↑ 78'
- 25
- 12
- 7
-
4
Josko Gvardiol ↑ 88'
- 26
- 18
- 21
-
20
Igor Matanovic ↑ 67'
-
24
Marco Pasalic ↑ 88'
- 22
- 19
Coach
Zlatko Dalić
Ghana Lineups
4-1-2-3Starting XI
- 16
- 4
- 23
- 14
- 26
-
15
Elisha Owusu ↓ Abdul Issahaku 46'
- 5
-
8
Kwasi Sibo ↓ Caleb Yirenkyi 85'
- 9
- 11
- 22
Bench
- 12
- 1
- 17
- 6
- 18
-
21
Kojo Peprah Oppong ↑ 46'
- 2
-
3
Caleb Yirenkyi ↑ 85'
- 25
- 13
-
7
Abdul Issahaku ↑ 46'
- 19
-
24
Ernest Nuamah ↑ 72'
-
10
Brandon Thomas-Asante ↑ 72'
Coach
Carlos Queiroz
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Derrick Luckassen | 1 |
| Nikola Vlasic | 1 |
| Petar Sucic | 1 |
Head to Head
Croatia Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
1 / 4
1.35
Croatia xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.96
Ghana xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 60%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Croatia win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.31
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 88% |
|
12% |
| ± 1.5 | 67% |
|
33% |
| ± 2.5 | 40% |
|
60% |
| ± 3.5 | 21% |
|
79% |
| ± 4.5 | 9% |
|
91% |
Double Chance
Croatia or Draw
76%
Draw or Ghana
53%
Croatia or Ghana
72%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Croatia win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13.8%
1 – 0
12.3%
0 – 0
12.1%
2 – 0
8.8%
2 – 1
Actual
0 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
5.9%
0 – 2
4.4%
2 – 2
4.1%
3 – 0
3.9%
3 – 1
3.8%
3 – 2
2%
Asian Handicap — Croatia
| Handicap | Croatia covers | Push | Ghana covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 13% | 79% |
| -1.5 | 21% | — | 79% |
| -1 | 21% | 23% | 56% |
| -0.5 | 44% | — | 56% |
| +0.5 | 75% | — | 25% |
| +1 | 75% | 16% | 9% |
| +1.5 | 91% | — | 9% |
| +2 | 91% | 7% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Croatia keeps clean sheet
39%
✓
Ghana keeps clean sheet
27%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.