FRANCE / CROATIA 2025

Les Bleus now know their opponents for the quarter-finals of the Nations League. Thanks to a decisive 3-1 victory in Italy on 17 November, the French football team finished top of their group. The draw, held in Switzerland on 22 November, named Croatia as France's opponents.

Didier Deschamps' players will first face the Croatians away from home on 20 March, before welcoming them to the Stade de France for the return leg on 23 March. This promises to be a promising encounter, as the French have often had the upper hand against Croatia in the past. We all remember the final of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, when France won 4-2 to add a second star to their trophy cabinet. Similarly, the semi-final of the 98 World Cup, played on French soil, saw Lilian Thuram's legendary brace give Les Bleus victory (2-1).

However, the last two meetings between the two teams have been more difficult for the French. In the 2022 Nations League, France were defeated 1-0 at the Stade de France by Luka Modrić. In the previous match, Croatia also managed to hold Les Bleus to a 0-0 draw at home.

If Les Bleus manage to triumph in this double-header against Croatia, they will qualify for the semi-finals of the competition, where they will face the winner of the duel between Spain and the Netherlands in June.