Croatia for the Blues

Next spring, the Blues will face the Croatians in the quarter-finals of the 2024-2025 Nations League. At stake is a place in the last four in June.

Croatia will be the first opponent of the French team to start the year 2025. Qualified for the final phase of the 4th edition of the Nations League after finishing at the top of their group, Didier Deschamps' players fell against the Croats during the draw which took place this Friday, November 22 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

The quarter-final first leg will take place on Thursday March 20, 2025 in Split, the return match will take place on Sunday March 23, 2025 at the Stade de France. If they qualify, the Blues will play the Final Four in June (semi-final then final or match for third place), as in 2021. They then won in the final against Spain in Milan (2-1 , October 10, 2021). This time, France could cross paths with La Roja in the semi-finals, depending on their result against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

The results of the League of Nations

THE ADVERSARY IN BRIEF

CROATIA

• FIFA ranking: 12th
• Coach: Zlatko Dalic in office since October 7, 2017
• World Cup: 6 participations
• Euro: 7 participations (1st round in 2024)
• Nations League 2024-2025: second group A1 of League A
• Group A1 results: 2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses (8 bp, 8 bc)
• Confrontations against France: 10 matches
• Results for France: 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss, 20 bp, 10 bc
• Last confrontation: 0-1 for Croatia during France-Croatia on June 13, 2022 (Nations League)

Coach Didier Deschamps and his Croatian counterpart Zlatko Dalic at UEFA headquarters for the draw (FFF photo).

THE BREEDER’S REACTION
Deschamps: “We know each other very well”

Didier Deschamps (French team coach): “We know each other well, even very well, we have met a lot of times. Croatia is one of the best European nations, it maintains itself at a high level through the final stages that it competes in and there, the Nations League. During the last edition, we were in the same group. When you are among the eight best European teams, you know that there are only good people to face. Our goal? Go as far as possible and be there for the Final Four in June. This will happen through these two matches against Croatia. »