Panama v Croatia: World Cup 2026 – live

Key events Coming into the tournament, Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic warned that losing an open match “can destroy everything” for a team in a major tournament. History informed this dramatic stance, with Croatia opening Euro 2024 with a 3-0 defeat to Spain and subsequently bowing out in the group stage. 2018’s run to the World Cup final kicked off with a win over Nigeria; in 2022, a draw against Morocco put both teams on their paths to the semifinal. Just how destroying will that opening 4-2 loss to England prove to be? If Luka Modrić appears today (and there’s no reason to think he won’t), he’ll become just the fourth man to log 200 international caps. To date, 30 women have played at least 200 international matches. 1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal (230)* 2. Bader Al-Mutawa, Kuwait (202) 3. Lionel Messi, Argentina (201)* 4. Luka Modrić, Croatia (199)* 5. Soh Chin Ann, Malaysia (195) * Asterisk to denote an active player Share Updated at 22.05 BST While Panama and Croatia have never before faced off in a competitive fixture, both men’s national teams have seen their reputations greatly enhanced since the 2018 World Cup . For Panama, it was their first trip to a World Cup after finishing above the United States in Concacaf qualifying, a “happy to be here” debut with three defeats and a -9 goal difference. For Croatia, it was the high point of a golden generation, an inspired run to a first World Cup final and a second-place finish to show for their efforts. …