Croatia women's national football team

Croatia
Nickname	Lavice (The Lionesses)
Association	Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Nenad Gračan
Captain	Doris Bačić
Most caps	Kristina Nevrkla (107)
Top scorer	Ivana Rudelić (22)
FIFA code	CRO
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	61 2 (11 December 2025)
Highest	44 (July 2003 – June 2005)
Lowest	65 (November 2010; July 2011)
First international
	Slovenia 3–2 Croatia ; (Ižakovci, Slovenia; 28 October 1993)
Biggest win
	Croatia 8–2 Slovenia ; (Kecskemét, Hungary; 27 May 2001)
Biggest defeat
	Romania 10–0 Croatia ; (Bucharest, Romania; 2 October 2004)
Website	hns-cff.hr

The Croatia women's national football team represents Croatia in international women's football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Lavice ('Lionesses'). So far, the Lavice have not qualified for any major tournament.

History

After winning independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the newly established Croatian Football Federation immediately moved toward creating separate national football teams to represent the country, which included the establishment of the women's team. Three years after the men's team debut, the women's team of Croatia officially marked their international debut, playing against neighbouring Slovenia in a friendly on 28 October 1993, where Croatia lost 2–3 away.

Since its inception, the women's team of Croatia has suffered from the lack of coverage from the increasingly successful men's side. Most of Croatia's female footballers, unlike the male ones, are made up of only amateur or part-timers, and thus they are not adequately trained. As for the result, while the men's team has been largely competitive and qualified for several UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup, the women's team is unable to repeat the same as the men's one, and has a tendency of being finished near bottom or bottom of the qualifications for UEFA Women's Championship and FIFA Women's World Cup.

Team image

Nicknames

The Croatia women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Lavice".

Rivalry

Like the men's counterparts, the Croatian women's team also maintained a rivalry with its neighbour Serbia. However, unlike the men's, the women's team of Croatia, which has long suffered from lack of investment, could not demonstrate its domination against its Serbian arch-rival.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2025

21 February 2025 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	0–4	Czech Republic	Pula, Croatia
19:00		Report	Stašková 15' Khýrová 18' Krejčiříková 29' Svitková 63'	Stadium: Stadion Aldo Drosina Attendance: 327 Referee: Abigail Byrne (England)

25 February 2025 UEFA Nations League	Ukraine	2–1	Croatia	Elbasan, Albania^{[note 1]}
18:00 UTC+1	Kotyk 2' Kalinina 61'	Report	Nevrkla 69'	Stadium: Elbasan Arena Attendance: 10 Referee: Shona Shukrula (Netherlands)

4 April 2025 Nations League B	Albania	4–0	Croatia	Shkodër, Albania
16:00	Berisha 14' Hila 24' Doçi 72' Hamonikaj 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Attendance: 436 Referee: Alexandra Collin (France)

8 April 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	1–2	Albania	Zagreb, Croatia
16:00	Slipčević 11'	Report	Berisha 32' Balog 71' (o.g.)	Stadium: Sport Centre Rudes Attendance: 377 Referee: Maria Marotta (Italy)

30 May 2025 Nations League B	Czech Republic	5–0	Croatia	Chomutov, Czech Republic
17:00	Khýrová 6' Svitková 18' Pochmanová 23' Dubcová 47' Polášková 53'	Report		Stadium: Letní stadion Referee: Karoline Wacker (Germany)

3 June 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	2–0	Ukraine	Karlovac, Croatia
19:00	Vračević 11' Živković 52'	Report		Stadium: Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek Attendance: 238 Referee: Deborah Anex (Switzerland)

24 October Friendly	Croatia	1–3	Montenegro	Zmijavci, Croatia
15:00 UTC+1	Kurkutović 60'	Report	Kuč 18' Tomašević 36' Dešić 45+??'	Stadium: Stadion ŠRC Marijan Šuto Mrma

27 October Friendly	Croatia	2–1	Montenegro	Dugopolje, Croatia
12:00 UTC+1	Kurkutović 35', 49'	Report	Karličić 31'	Stadium: Hrvatski vitezovi stadium

28 November 2025 (2025-11-28) Friendly	Malta	3–2	Croatia	Ta' Qali, Malta
	Cuschieri 15' Saliba 82' Fareugia 84'		Kurkutovic 50' Rudelic 51'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium

1 December Friendly	Malta	0–3	Croatia	Ta' Qali, Malta
			Maja Joščak 42' Ivana Rudelić 48' Karla Kurkutović 76'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Nenad Gračan
Assistant Coach	Jure Perković
Assistant Coach	Nenad Glušica
Assistant Coach	Helena Hercigonja-Moulton
Goalkeeping Coach	Blaž Bugarin

Source: [1]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the Friendly matches against Malta on 28 November and 2 December 2025. ^[3]

Caps and goals correct as of 27 October 2025, after the match against Montenegro. ^[4]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Doris Bačić (captain)	(1995-02-23) 23 February 1995	92	0	Napoli
12	1GK	Ana Filipović	(2003-07-04) 4 July 2003	1	0	Dinamo Zagreb
23	1GK	Ana Ristovski	(2008-01-20) 20 January 2008	2	0	Hajduk Split

2	2DF	Lucia Orkić	(2005-06-22) 22 June 2005	7	0	RB Salzburg
3	2DF	Ana Jelenčić	(1992-01-09) 9 January 1992	63	1	Servette
5	2DF	Kristina Nevrkla	(1996-07-05) 5 July 1996	106	5	Osijek
6	2DF	Tea Vračević	(2006-04-25) 25 April 2006	16	1	St. Pölten
14	2DF	Antonia Dulčić	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997	42	0	Hajduk Split
19	2DF	Janja Čanjevac	(2000-11-14) 14 November 2000	18	1	Hajduk Split

4	3MF	Lucija Vunić	(2006-06-18) 18 June 2006	1	0	Dinamo Zagreb
8	3MF	Maja Joščak	(1990-08-02) 2 August 1990	92	20	Agram
10	3MF	Izabela Lojna	(1992-05-11) 11 May 1992	99	14	Osijek
11	3MF	Ivana Slipčević	(1998-08-23) 23 August 1998	25	2	SC Sand
13	3MF	Helena Spajić	(2000-02-08) 8 February 2000	30	0	Dinamo Zagreb
15	3MF	Laura Vlastelica	(2005-12-01) 1 December 2005	0	0	Hajduk Split
16	3MF	Barbara Živković	(2005-02-15) 15 February 2005	8	1	Hajduk Split
17	3MF	Ella Luština	(2005-11-10) 10 November 2005	15	1	Grasshoppers
18	3MF	Siena Isobel Maria Stambolich	(2002-08-13) 13 August 2002	0	0	Dinamo Zagreb

7	4FW	Ivana Rudelić	(1992-01-25) 25 January 1992	60	20	Basel
9	4FW	Petra Mikulica	(2005-07-02) 2 July 2005	9	0	Altach
20	4FW	Paula Vidović	(2003-06-16) 16 June 2003	9	0	FC Ingolstadt
21	4FW	Karla Kurkutović	(2006-12-17) 17 December 2006	6	0	Górnik Łęczna
22	4FW	Martina Ćavar	(2003-05-11) 11 May 2003	0	0	Zürich

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Stephanie Bukovec	(1995-09-22) 22 September 1995	6	0	Calgary Wild	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
GK	Lana Klobučarević	(2008-06-17) 17 June 2008	0	0	Agram	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
GK	Nika Radolović	(2008-04-22) 22 April 2008	2	0	Istra 1961	v. Albania, 8 April 2025

DF	Leonarda Balog	(1993-02-05) 5 February 1993	78	1	St. Pölten	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Maria Kunštek	(1998-11-06) 6 November 1998	33	0	Växjö DFF	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Ana Grdiša	(2007-04-16) 16 April 2007	2	0	Dinamo Zagreb	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Nina Varga	(2005-08-20) 20 August 2005	1	0	Međimurje	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Tijan McKenna	(2004-09-08) 8 September 2004	0	0	Perth Glory	v. Slovenia, 30 November 2024
DF	Lucia Duras	(2004-12-13) 13 December 2004	0	0	Djurgårdens	v. Slovenia, 30 November 2024

MF	Ružica Krajinović	(2002-01-08) 8 January 2002	17	1	Sturm Graz	v. Montenegro, 27 October 2025
MF	Ana Jakobašić	(2004-03-04) 4 March 2004	4	0	Hajduk Split	v. Montenegro, 27 October 2025
MF	Ana Bakalar	(2000-11-27) 27 November 2000	3	0	Hajduk Split	v. Montenegro, 27 October 2025
MF	Bianca Galić	(1999-05-14) 14 May 1999	6	0	Sydney FC	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
MF	Helena Damjanović ^PRE	(2005-09-23) 23 September 2005	0	0	Međimurje	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
MF	Anela Lubina	(1995-12-18) 18 December 1995	49	2	Osijek	v. Ukraine, 25 February 2025
MF	Tea Krznarić	(2004-08-09) 9 August 2004	27	0	St. Pölten	v. Ukraine, 25 February 2025
MF	Petra Pezelj ^INJ	(1998-10-28) 28 October 1998	53	2	SFK 2000	v. Czech Republic, 21 February 2025
MF	Matea Bošnjak ^INJ	(1997-12-21) 21 December 1997	33	2	Hajduk Split	v. Northern Ireland, 29 October 2024

FW	Antea Guvo	(2004-11-10) 10 November 2004	6	0	Peamount United	v. Montenegro, 27 October 2025
FW	Karla Jedvaj	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000	18	0	Blau-Weiß Linz	v. Montenegro, 27 October 2025
FW	Marija Došen	(2008-06-03) 3 June 2008	1	0	Unattached	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
FW	Paula Petković	(2006-12-19) 19 December 2006	0	0	Osijek	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
FW	Ana Maria Marković	(1999-11-09) 9 November 1999	25	2	Braga	v. Albania, 8 April 2025
FW	Ana Dujmović	(1996-02-21) 21 February 1996	16	0	Agram	v. Albania, 8 April 2025
FW	Jelena Đorđić	(2001-07-27) 27 July 2001	4	1	USV Neulengbach	v. Czech Republic, 21 February 2025
Notes ^INJ = Withdrew due to injury ^MED = Withdrew due to medical reasons ^PRE = Preliminary squad ^RET = Retired from national team

Records

As of 1 December 2025^[5]

Players in bold are still active with the national team.

Most capped players

Iva Landeka has played 102 matches for Croatia, making her most capped Croatian player

Rank	Player	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Kristina Nevrkla	2008–present	107	5
2	Iva Landeka	2006–2022	102	14
3	Izabela Lojna	2010–present	101	14
4	Sandra Žigić	2005–2019	94	10
4	Doris Bačić	2011–present	94	0
6	Maja Joščak	2006–present	88	21
7	Leonarda Balog	2009–present	78	1
8	Ana Jelenčić	2011–present	65	1
9	Ivana Rudelić	2015–present	62	22
10	Kristina Šundov	2003–2020	59	8

Top goalscorers

With 20 goals, Maja Joščak is the top goalscorer for the Croatia's women's national football team

Rank	Player	Career	Goals	Caps	Ratio
1	Ivana Rudelić	2015–present	22	62	0.35
2	Maja Joščak	2006–present	21	88	0.24
3	Katarina Kolar	2006–2014	16	40	0.40
4	Izabela Lojna	2010–present	14	101	0.14
4	Iva Landeka	2006–2022	14	102	0.14
6	Marina Koljenik	1994–2007	13	35	0.37
7	Ljiljana Jakšić	1995–2005	12	22	0.55
8	Sandra Žigić	2005–2019	10	94	0.11
9	Violeta Baban	2003–2020	8	58	0.14
9	Kristina Šundov	2002–2016	8	59	0.14

Competitive record

Champions
Runners-up
Third place
Fourth place
  Tournament played fully or partially on home soil

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1991	Part of Yugoslavia
1995	Did not enter
1999	Did not enter
2003	Did not qualify									2/5	8	4	1	3	16	11
2007										2/4	6	3	0	3	11	11
2011										6/6	10	0	2	8	4	27
2015										4/6	10	2	2	6	7	20
2019										5/5	8	0	3	5	5	20
2023										4/6	10	3	1	6	6	18
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
2035	To be determined									To be determined
Total		0/9							—	0/6	52	12	9	31	49	107

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 6 September 2022 after the match against Lithuania.

Matches
First match	–
Biggest win	–
Biggest defeat	–

UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1969	Part of Yugoslavia
1979
1984
1987
1989
1991
1993	Did not enter
1995	Did not qualify									2/4	6	3	1	2	8	18	–
1997										4/4	8	0	1	7	2	23
2001										4/4	6	1	0	5	7	19
2005										3/5	8	4	1	3	17	22
2009										3/4	3	2	0	1	9	6
2013										5/5	8	0	1	7	6	26
2017										4/5	8	2	1	5	8	15
2022										4/5	8	2	1	5	7	19
2025										3/4	8	3	1	4	5	11	^[a]	25th
2029	To be determined									To be determined
Total		0/10							—	0/9	55	14	6	35	64	148	25th

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out

Correct as of 29 October 2024 after the match against Northern Ireland.

Matches
First match	–
Biggest win	–
Biggest defeat	–

UEFA Women's Nations League

UEFA Women's Nations League												Finals record
Year	Lg	Gp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk	Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2023–24	B	2	2nd	8	3	0	5	5	18	*	23rd	2024	Did not qualify
2025	B	4	4th	6	1	0	5	4	17		31st	2025	Did not qualify
Total				14	4	0	10	9	35	23rd and 31st		Total	0/2	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 5 December 2023 after the match against Romania.

Matches
First match	Croatia 2–1 Romania (Varaždin, Croatia; 22 September 2023)
Biggest win	Croatia 2–0 Slovakia (Velika Gorica, Croatia; 1 December 2023) Croatia 2–0 Ukraine (Karlovac, Croatia; 3 June 2025)
Biggest defeat	Slovakia 4–0 Croatia (Senec, Slovakia; 26 September 2023)

Notes

^ From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

References

^ Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.^[2]

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
^ "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Nenad Gračan objavio popis igračica za prijateljske utakmice protiv Malte" [Nenad Gračan announces list of players for friendly matches against Malta] (in Croatian). Hrvatski Nogometni Savez / Croatian Football Federation. 20 November 2025.
^ Croatian Squad
^ Statistics

[7] From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

[Ukraine-3] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.^[2]

[FIFA_Women's_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.

[decision_ukraine-2] "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[4] "Nenad Gračan objavio popis igračica za prijateljske utakmice protiv Malte" [Nenad Gračan announces list of players for friendly matches against Malta] (in Croatian). Hrvatski Nogometni Savez / Croatian Football Federation. 20 November 2025.

[5] Croatian Squad

[6] Statistics

[1]

[note 1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[a]

[2]

Croatia national football team
General	Croatian Football Federation History Managers
Statistics	Head to head Hat-tricks
Results	Pre-independence (1940–91) 1992–99 2000–09 2010–19 2020–present
Players	20+ caps 1–19 caps
World Cup Finals	Summary 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 2022
UEFA Euro Finals	Summary 1996 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
UEFA Nations League Finals	Summary 2023
Rivalries	Serbia
Matches	Croatia v Indonesia (1956) Croatia v United States (1990) 2018 FIFA World Cup final 2023 UEFA Nations League final
Goal scorers	Davor Šuker
Other teams	Men's B Under-23 Under-21 Under-20 Under-19 Under-18 Under-17 Under-16 Under-15 Women's Under-19 Under-17 Under-15

National women's football teams of Europe (UEFA)
Active	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
Defunct	Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia
Other	Great Britain Vatican City

Football in Croatia
Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
National teams	Men's: A B U23 U21 U20 U19 U18 U17 U16 U15 Women's: A U19 U17
League system	Men's: HNL 1. NL 2. NL 3. NL 4. NL 1. ŽNL 2. ŽNL 3. ŽNL Women's: 1. HNLŽ 2. HNLŽ
Domestic cups	Men's: Cup Super Cup Women's: Cup
Seasons	1992 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Records List of clubs List of venues International players Men Women