Croatia heads to US for World Cup warm-up friendlies

With the FIFA World Cup less than three months away, members of the Croatian national team have departed for the United States to begin final preparations.

Players from the domestic league, along with coaching staff and officials from the Croatian Football Federation, will spend the next ten days in Orlando, where Croatia is scheduled to play two friendly matches.

They will face Colombia national football team on Thursday, followed by a high-profile clash with Brazil national football team next Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at Zagreb Airport, Rijeka midfielder Toni Fruk said the team is approaching the matches with full focus despite their friendly status.

“Of course, the goal is to win, but we’ll also be trying some new things ahead of the World Cup. We have to take these games seriously—we can’t treat them as just friendlies. We need to perform at our maximum,” he said.

Fruk added that the match against Brazil would be a major test, with both teams expected to play at a high level.

“Brazil is a big challenge for us, but there is mutual respect given our previous encounters. I expect a very good match and that Croatia will show how well we can play,” he said.

Head coach Zlatko Dalić has repeatedly emphasized the importance of facing strong opponents in the run-up to the tournament. Croatia’s preparations will therefore include matches against five-time world champions Brazil and South American runners-up Colombia.