Sports — National Pride

For a country with only 3.86 million inhabitants, Croatia's sports record is absurdly impressive:

Football

The biggest national sport and a source of immense pride. World Cup 2018: Final against France (Silver)—the whole country stood still. World Cup 2022: Semi-finals again (Bronze). Per capita, Croatia is the most successful football nation in the world. Stars like Luka Modrić (Ballon d'Or 2018), Ivan Rakitić, Davor Šuker, and Zvonimir Boban enjoy hero status.

The rivalry between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split is legendary and reflects the Zagreb-vs.-Dalmatia dynamic. Hajduk fans ("Torcida", founded in 1950—the oldest ultra group in Europe) are particularly passionate.

Tennis

Goran Ivanišević won Wimbledon in 2001 as a wildcard player—one of the greatest underdog victories in sports history. The whole country celebrated for days. Marin Čilić won the US Open in 2014, Donna Vekić reached the Olympic semi-finals in 2024. Croatia has more Grand Slam successes per capita than any other country.

Water Polo

Croatia is a water polo powerhouse: Olympic gold in 2012, World Championship titles, European Championship titles—all there. In Split and Dubrovnik, water polo is followed almost religiously. The Croatian league is one of the strongest in the world.

Handball, Skiing, Basketball

Handball: Olympic gold in 2004, several World/European Championship medals. Skiing: Janica Kostelić won 4 Olympic gold medals—one of the most successful alpine skiers of all time, even though Croatia has hardly any mountains (she trained on Sljeme near Zagreb). Basketball: Dražen Petrović revolutionized the NBA in the 1990s as the first European superstar; his tragic accidental death in 1993 made him a legend.