RIJEKA, Croatia — Croatia and Belgium met in an international friendly on Tuesday in Rijeka as both teams continued preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with coaches using the match to assess squad fitness and tactical options ahead of the tournament.
The match at Stadion HNK Rijeka was one of the final warm-up fixtures for the two European nations before the World Cup begins later this month in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Croatia are scheduled to open their tournament campaign against England on June 17, while Belgium begin against Egypt on June 15, according to team schedules released by football authorities.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić described the fixture as an important test against a strong opponent. Speaking before the match, Dalić said Belgium's quality would provide a useful measure of his team's readiness.
“Belgium are a quality opponent with a number of dangerous players. It is a real test for us and a chance to see where we are,” Dalić told reporters on Monday.
The friendly formed part of Croatia's final preparations after the Croatian Football Federation confirmed Dalić's World Cup squad. Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić, expected to play in his fifth World Cup, remained a central figure in the squad despite undergoing cheekbone surgery earlier this year. Croatian officials have said Modrić is expected to be available for the tournament.
Belgium arrived in Rijeka seeking to finalize preparations under coach Rudi Garcia. Attention remained focused on striker Romelu Lukaku, who returned to the national team setup after recovering from a hamstring injury that limited his club appearances during the season.
“I've never seen a player as motivated as he is,” Garcia said of Lukaku during a pre-match news conference. Garcia added that the forward was progressing in training but was not yet ready for a full match workload.
Both teams entered the match with experienced players available, including Modrić for Croatia and Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois for Belgium. Team lineups released before kickoff showed coaches selecting strong squads while continuing evaluations ahead of the World Cup.
Croatia reached the final of the 2018 World Cup and finished third in 2022, while Belgium are attempting to improve on recent tournament performances under a new coaching staff.
The friendly in Rijeka was scheduled as the first of Croatia's final pre-World Cup matches, with another warm-up game planned before the team departs for North America. Belgium are also set to play an additional preparatory fixture before opening their World Cup campaign. Match officials and football federations had not reported any major incidents as the teams completed their latest World Cup preparations.
