(foto: Getty Images)
Croatia will face Colombia and Brazil in high-profile March friendlies in the United States as part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Croatia have confirmed two high-profile friendly matches ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with games against Colombia national football team and Brazil national football team scheduled for March in the United States.
The fixtures were agreed by the Croatian Football Federation, with both matches set to be played in Orlando as part of the international friendly series titled “Road to 26”. Croatia will face Colombia on March 26 and Brazil on March 31 local time, with the latter match taking place in the early hours of April 1 in Croatian time.
France will also take part in the same friendly series, alongside Croatia, Brazil and Colombia, the federation confirmed on its official website.
Ticket sales and organisation
Tickets for all four matches in the “Road to 26” series will go on general sale on January 13 at 16:00 CET. Fans can register for exclusive pre-sale access from January 8 at 16:00 CET via the official website roadto26.com.
Colombia currently sit 13th in the FIFA world rankings and are the third-highest ranked South American side behind Argentina and Brazil. Like Croatia, they will make their seventh appearance at a World Cup in 2026, having finished third in South American qualifying behind Argentina and Ecuador.
Brazil remain the most successful nation in World Cup history, with five titles, and are the only team to have featured at every edition of the tournament.
Dalić: strong tests at the right time
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić welcomed the calibre of the opponents and the timing of the matches.
“I’m pleased that we’ve arranged such strong tests for March because they will give us the clearest picture of our form three months before the World Cup and what we need to work on most during preparations,” Dalić said.
“We always use the March window to strengthen team unity and atmosphere, so it’s good that we’ll be in one place, get a feel for America and play opponents with a different style to the European teams we’re used to.”
He added: “There’s no need to say much about Brazil — they are always among the strongest national teams in the world and have only one ambition, to win the World Cup. Colombia are also an excellent side and even finished ahead of Brazil in qualifying. Two big challenges await us, and we have the quality to respond.”
Past meetings and new challenges
Croatia have faced Brazil five times, most memorably in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the Vatreni progressed on penalties after a dramatic draw. Previous meetings include a 1–1 friendly in Split in 2005, a 1–0 Brazilian win at the 2006 World Cup, a 3–1 defeat for Croatia at the opening match of the 2014 tournament in Brazil, and a 2–0 friendly loss in Liverpool in 2018.
Croatia, however, have never previously played Colombia at senior international level.
Federation backing
Croatian FA president Marijan Kustić underlined the importance of the fixtures.
“We know that coach Dalić likes to face strong opponents before major tournaments to assess the state of the team, so I’m delighted we’ve managed to organise two such outstanding matches in Orlando,” Kustić said.
“Brazil and Colombia are among the world’s elite, and the fact that Brazil chose France and Croatia as opponents shows the status we hold in world football.”