Croatia is one of the newest countries in the world in its modern form. Although it was founded in the 7th Century, it joined Yugoslavia in 1918 and did not gain independence until 1991 after the wars that ravaged the area. The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb and the area is now attracting its fair share of tourists again. With a population of almost 5 million, Croatia is certainly on the way up. The official languages are Croat and Italian and the currency remains the Kuna, although the country did join the European Union in 2007 so whether this will change in the future remains to be seen.

Football is the country’s national sport, despite the fact that the national team was only created in 1990 and was not recognised until 1992 by the sport’s governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA. However, the national side has certainly experienced more success than some other teams in its short history. Croatia currently sits at 10th in the FIFA world rankings. Although they dipped to 125 in March 1994, the highest position came in January 1999 when they sat in 3rd overall. Many national teams do not reach this level and they may have been in existence for a hundred years!

In terms of national honours, Croatia has appeared in the World Cup three times, with the first coming in 1998. Their best finish also occurred in that year when they finished third.  The national team has also appeared in the European Championship twice, with the first being n 1996. Again, this was their highest finish when they earned a place in the quarterfinals.

The majority of the players in the national squad play their domestic football outside of Croatia, but there is an equivalent of the Premier League or La Liga there as well. The top league is known as 1. HNL, although the correct name is the Prva HNL. Founded in 1991, it has a total of 12 teams and operates between July and May with a two month Christmas break between December and February. The teams play each other three times a year in total. There is also the Croatian Cup, which has been an annual event since 1992. It includes 48 teams, including the top 11 with the rest having to qualify and is open to all male teams throughout the country.

The top teams n Croatia are Dinamo Zagreb (which is the most successful club with 9 wins in total), HNK Hajduk Split and HNK Rijeka. The other teams in the 1. HNL as of 2007 were HNK Cibalia, Inter Zapresic, NK Medimurje, NK Osijek, Slaven Belupo, HNK Sibenik. NK Varteks, NK Zadar and NK Zagreb.