Can Czech Republic Finally Beat Croatia? Czech Republic vs Croatia Prediction | September 26, 2026
Czech Republic host Croatia on September 26 in the opening round of the UEFA Nations League League A. Both teams return to competitive action after the World Cup, with Croatia looking to build on their stronger tournament campaign and Czech Republic facing one of Europe's established sides.
Match Preview
Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup after a convincing campaign but struggled to produce results at the tournament itself. They failed to win any of their three group matches, losing to South Korea and Mexico while drawing with South Africa. Since the World Cup, the Czechs have not played an official match.
In the previous Nations League campaign, Czech Republic competed in League B and won their group ahead of Ukraine, Georgia and Albania, earning promotion to League A. They now face a significantly tougher level of opposition, with their current FIFA ranking standing at 48th.
Home advantage could be important, particularly given Czech Republic's previous meetings with Croatia in Prague. Czech Republic have hosted Croatia once, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw during World Cup qualifying. However, Czech Republic have never beaten Croatia in six meetings, with four draws and two Croatia wins.
- Possible Czech Republic Lineup: Horníček, Chaloupek, Hranáč, Krejčí, Karabec, Sadílek, Červ, Lingr, Šulc, Vitík, Hložek
Croatia arrive with a stronger recent record at international level and currently sit 13th in the FIFA rankings. They also enjoyed a more successful World Cup, beating Ghana and Panama before losing to England in the group stage. Their tournament ended in the last 32 with a 1-2 defeat to Portugal.
Croatia were also convincing during World Cup qualifying, with their only dropped points coming against Czech Republic in the 0-0 draw. They won the reverse fixture 5-1 at home. In the previous Nations League campaign, Croatia finished second in a group containing Portugal, Scotland and Poland before reaching the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by France on penalties.
- Possible Croatia Lineup: Livaković, Stanišić, Vušković, Gvardiol, Perišić, Modrić, Kovačić, Sučić, Sučić, Baturina, Matanović
Head-to-Head
Croatia have the advantage in the overall head-to-head record, winning two of the six previous meetings while four ended in draws. Czech Republic have never recorded a victory against Croatia.
The two most recent competitive meetings came during World Cup qualifying. Croatia won 5-1 at home, while the return fixture in Czech Republic finished 0-0.
Prediction
Both teams enter the match without official competitive action since the World Cup, so neither side should have a clear advantage in terms of match rhythm. That could make the opening stages particularly cautious as both teams look to settle into the new Nations League campaign. Croatia have the stronger recent international record and a clear advantage in the head-to-head history, but Czech Republic will have home support and already showed during qualifying that they can make this matchup difficult. The previous meeting in Czech Republic ended goalless. With neither side likely to take excessive risks early on and the importance of starting the League A campaign positively, a controlled match with limited chances could develop. Recommended Bet: Under 3 Total Goals
