After successfully navigating the league stage and earning a place in the European play-offs, Gračan’s side now face Iceland — a team accustomed to competing against Europe’s elite.
The first leg will take place at the Aldo Drosina Stadium in Pula on October 9 at 18:45, with the return scheduled for October 13 at Reykjavik’s Laugardalsvöllur.
Gračan makes no attempt to hide the scale of the challenge.
He described Iceland as one of Europe’s strongest teams, highlighting their pragmatic approach, tactical discipline and consistency. At the same time, he sees the tie as an important opportunity for Croatia’s younger players to gain experience at a level they have rarely encountered.
It is a significant moment for a national team that has been undergoing a clear transition.
A Young Croatia Faces a Major Step Up
Croatia entered the 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign in League C after being ranked 37th in UEFA’s overall league allocation. Iceland, by contrast, were placed in League A and ranked 11th — a considerable difference that illustrates the scale of the task facing Gračan’s players.
The gap on paper becomes even clearer when looking at Iceland’s qualifying opponents.
They competed in a League A group containing world champions Spain, England and Ukraine. Iceland finished third with six points, recording two 1–0 victories over Ukraine while facing some of the strongest national teams in world football.
Croatia’s route was very different.
Gračan’s side competed in Group C2 alongside Kosovo, Bulgaria and Gibraltar. Croatia collected 15 points from six matches and finished level with Kosovo, missing out on first place on goal difference but still progressing as one of the two best runners-up in League C.
The campaign had its difficult moments.
Croatia suffered a damaging 1–0 home defeat to Kosovo in Karlovac in March, but responded when the teams met again in Pristina, where Janja Čanjevac scored directly from a corner to secure a vital 1–0 away victory.
That resilience helped keep Croatia’s World Cup hopes alive.
Now, however, the level rises sharply.
Gračan Continues the Generational Change
One of the most noticeable features of Gračan’s selection is the balance between experience and a younger generation being gradually introduced to senior international football.
The 23-player squad includes players competing across Croatia, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Doris Bačić provides experience in goal, while Leonarda Balog and Ana Jelenčić are among the established defensive options.
Further forward, Croatia can call on Ana Maria Marković, Karla Kurkutović, Petra Mikulica, Martina Ćavar and Erika Vrban Zschuppe.
Players from Hajduk Split also make up a significant part of the squad, reflecting the increasing domestic contribution to Gračan’s national-team rebuild.
The Croatian coach had already stressed at the start of the qualifying campaign that the squad had been significantly rejuvenated. The objective was not simply to chase immediate results but to gradually expose younger players to increasingly demanding international football.
The Iceland tie represents the clearest test of that process so far.
Croatia’s Squad for Iceland
Goalkeepers: Doris Bačić (Neom), Carlotta Sesjak (1. FFC Recklinghausen), Nika Radolović (Pogoń Szczecin)
Defenders: Petra Pezelj (SFK 2000 Sarajevo), Leonarda Balog (SKN St. Pölten Frauen), Ana Jelenčić (Montpellier), Antonia Dulčić (Hajduk Split), Tea Vračević (SKN St. Pölten Frauen), Helena Spajić (Dinamo Zagreb), Lucia Orkić (Austria Wien), Janja Čanjevac (Hajduk Split)
Midfielders: Lucija Vunić (Dinamo Zagreb), Laura Vlastelica (Hajduk Split), Ana Bakalar (Hajduk Split), Lana Kukavica (Hajduk Split), Tea Krznarić (LASK), Barbara Živković (Hajduk Split), Ella Ljustina (GC Frauenfussball)
Forwards: Karla Kurkutović (First Vienna), Ana Maria Marković (Hajduk Split), Petra Mikulica (Altach), Martina Ćavar (FC Zürich), Erika Vrban Zschuppe (Tampa Bay Sun)
Two Matches — and Then Another Obstacle
Even beating Iceland would not secure Croatia a ticket to Brazil.
The European play-off system contains two knockout rounds, both played over two legs. Should Croatia eliminate Iceland, they will face the winner of the Northern Ireland–Portugal tie in the second round.
That second stage will ultimately determine which European teams reach the World Cup.
UEFA has 11 direct places at the 2027 tournament. Four were already claimed by the League A group winners — Denmark, France, Germany and Spain. The remaining places are being decided through the play-offs.
Eight teams will emerge as winners from the second round. The seven highest-ranked of those teams will qualify directly for Brazil, while the remaining side will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
It makes the path exceptionally demanding.
But simply being in this position represents progress for Croatia.
Pula Could Be Crucial
With the second leg taking place in Reykjavik, Croatia’s opening match in Pula may prove decisive.
Iceland were seeded for the first play-off round, meaning they earned the advantage of playing the return match at home. Croatia therefore need to make the most of the Aldo Drosina Stadium before travelling north.
The same stadium provided a positive ending to Croatia’s league-stage campaign in June, when Gračan’s team defeated Bulgaria 4–0.
Against Iceland, the challenge will be entirely different.
Croatia are unlikely to dominate possession in the same way they could against some of their League C opponents. Defensive organisation, concentration and efficiency in transition will become far more important.
Gračan’s description of Iceland as pragmatic, responsible and disciplined is therefore also an indication of what Croatia themselves will need to be.
There may not be many clear chances across the two matches.
When they arrive, Croatia will have to take them.
On paper, Iceland enter the tie as clear favourites. But Croatia have already earned the opportunity to test themselves against a team from Europe’s top tier. Now comes the biggest challenge of all: proving that the progress made in League C can survive the step up to League A opposition — with a place on the road to Brazil at stake.
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