Croatia women's national football team

Croatia women
Nickname(s)	Lavice (The Lionesses)
Association	Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Nenad Gračan
Captain	Doris Bačić
Most caps	Iva Landeka (102)
Top scorer	Maja Joščak (20)
FIFA code	CRO
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	59 2 (13 December 2024)
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".^{[citation needed]}

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.

Recent 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 Lose Fixture

2024

23 February 2023–24 UEFA Nations League play-offs	Croatia	0–3	Norway	Osijek, Croatia
		Report		Stadium: Opus Arena Referee: Abigail Byrne (England)

27 February 2023–24 UEFA Nations League play-offs	Norway	5–0 (8–0 agg.)	Croatia	Stavanger
				Stadium: Viking Stadion Referee: Veronika Kovarova (Czech Republic)
Note: Norway won 8–0 on aggregate, and therefore both teams remained in their respective leagues.

5 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Wales	4–0	Croatia	Wrexham
	Fishlock 4', 50' Rowe 51' James 56'	Report		Stadium: Racecourse Ground Referee: Zuzana Valentová (Slovakia)

9 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Croatia	1–0	Ukraine	Zaprešić
		Report		Stadium: Ivan Laljak-Ivić Stadium Referee: Zulema González (Spain)

31 May UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying	Kosovo	0–1	Croatia	Podujevo, Kosovo
17:00		Report	Rudelić 58'	Stadium: Zahir Pajaziti Stadium Referee: Kristina Georgieva (Bulgaria)

4 June UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying	Croatia	2–0	Kosovo	Karlovac, Croatia
	Rudelić 15' Marković 74'	Report		Stadium: Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek Referee: Michaela Pachtová (Czech Republic)

12 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Croatia	0–3	Wales	Karlovac, Croatia
		Report		Stadium: Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek

16 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Ukraine	2–0	Croatia	Skopje, North Macedonia
19:00		Report		Stadium: Petar Miloševski Training Centre

25 October 2024 Euro 2025 qualifying play-off	Croatia	1–1	Northern Ireland	Varaždin, Croatia
18:00 CEST (UTC+01:00)	Lojna 4' (pen.)	Report	Lojna 90+2' (o.g.)	Stadium: Stadion Varteks

29 October 2024 Euro 2025 qualifying play-off	Northern Ireland	1–0 (a.e.t.) (2–1 agg.)	Croatia	Belfast, Northern Ireland
20:00 CEST (UTC+01:00)	Wade 114'	Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

30 November Friendly	Croatia	1–1	Slovenia	Čakovec, Croatia
14:00 UTC+1	Slipčević 85'	Report	Kajzba 15'	Stadium: Stadion SRC Mladost Attendance: 500 Referee: Filip Glavić (Croatia)

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

Players with at least 20 appearances -> List of Croatia women's international footballers

The following players were called up for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against Northern Ireland in October 2024.^[2]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Doris Bačić	(1995-02-23) 23 February 1995 (age 29)	77	0	Napoli
12	1GK	Ana Filipović	(2003-07-04) 4 July 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Dinamo Zagreb
12	1GK	Nika Radolović	(2008-04-22) 22 April 2008 (age 16)	0	0	Istra 1961

5	2DF	Kristina Nevrkla	(2003-06-17) 17 June 2003 (age 21)	88	4	Osijek
3	2DF	Ana Jelenčić	(1994-06-08) 8 June 1994 (age 30)	47	1	Servette
	2DF	Antonia Dulčić	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 27)	24	0	Hajduk Split
15	2DF	Maria Kunštek	(1998-11-06) 6 November 1998 (age 26)	28	0	Växjö DFF
	2DF	Janja Čanjevac	(1999-08-08) 8 August 1999 (age 25)	9	0	Hajduk Split
13	2DF	Tea Vračević	(2006-04-25) 25 April 2006 (age 18)			St. Pölten
4	2DF	Lucia Orkić	(2005-06-22) 22 June 2005 (age 19)			Bergheim [de]

22	3MF	Izabela Lojna	(1992-05-11) 11 May 1992 (age 32)	81	12	Osijek
22	3MF	Maja Joščak				Osijek
10	3MF	Anela Lubina	(1995-12-18) 18 December 1995 (age 29)	43	2	Osijek
7	3MF	Petra Pezelj	(1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 (age 26)	41	2	Unattached
22	3MF	Matea Bošnjak				Split
13	3MF	Helena Spajić	(2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 (age 24)	25	0	Dinamo Zagreb
6	3MF	Tea Krznarić	(2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 20)	14	0	St. Pölten
11	3MF	Ivana Slipčević	(1998-08-23) 23 August 1998 (age 26)	11	0	FC Ingolstadt
	3MF	Bianca Galić	(1999-05-14) 14 May 1999 (age 25)			Central Coast Mariners

9	4FW	Ivana Rudelić	(1992-01-25) 25 January 1992 (age 32)	44	17	Basel
	4FW	Ana Maria Marković	(1999-11-09) 9 November 1999 (age 25)	12	1	Braga
11	4FW	Petra Mikulica	(2005-02-02) 2 February 2005 (age 19)			Grasshopper
17	4FW	Karla Jedvaj	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 24)	13	0	SPG FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Union Kleinmünchen
11	4FW	Jelena Đorđić	(2002-01-27) 27 January 2002 (age 22)			USV Neulengbach

Recent call-ups

The following players were named to a squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Danijela Vidović	(2003-06-05) 5 June 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Donat	Slovakia, 26 September 2023
GK	Laura Fiket	(2002-06-05) 5 June 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Unattached	Kosovo, 4 June 2024
GK	Carlotta Sesjak	(2006-04-24) 24 April 2006 (age 18)	0	0	SGS Essen II	Ukraine, 16 July 2024
GK	Victoria Šafradin	(2005-04-23) 23 April 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Virginia Cavaliers	Ukraine, 16 July 2024

DF	Leonarda Balog	(1993-02-05) 5 February 1993 (age 31)	65	1	St. Pölten	Ukraine, 9 April 2024
DF	Lucia Domazet	(2003-06-17) 17 June 2003 (age 21)	10	0	Eintracht Frankfurt II	Norway, 5 April 2024
DF	Barbara Živković	(2005-02-15) 15 February 2005 (age 19)			Osijek	Norway, 5 April 2024

MF	Fatjesa Gegollaj	(2001-11-05) 5 November 2001 (age 23)			Al-Ula	Ukraine, 9 April 2024
MF	Ivana Kirilenko	(2000-06-21) 21 June 2000 (age 24)	8	0	Osijek	Ukraine, 9 April 2024
MF	Veronika Terzić	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 24)			Sarajevo	Ukraine, 9 April 2024
MF	Mia Došen	(2003-09-25) 25 September 2003 (age 21)			Parkside Rangers	Slovakia, 26 September 2023
MF	Ružica Krajinović	(2002-05-10) 10 May 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Sturm Graz	Ukraine, 16 July 2024
MF	Ella Ljuština	(2002-05-10) 10 May 2002 (age 22)	11	1	Grasshopper	Ukraine, 16 July 2024
MF	Antea Batarilo	(2005-10-02) 2 October 2005 (age 19)			Austria Wien [de]	Ukraine, 16 July 2024

FW	Nika Petarić	(2002-06-02) 2 June 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Dinamo Zagreb	Romania, 5 December 2023
FW	Selma Pajazetović^{[note 1]}	(1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 (age 28)	2	0	SCR Altach	Slovakia, 26 September 2023
FW	Paula Vidović	(2003-06-16) 16 June 2003 (age 21)			FC Ingolstadt	Kosovo, 4 June 2024
FW	Andrea Glibo	(2002-04-05) 5 April 2002 (age 22)	5	0	St. Pölten	Ukraine, 16 July 2024
FW	Andrea Iljkić	(2004-10-06) 6 October 2004 (age 20)	0	0	LSU Tigers	Ukraine, 16 July 2024
^INJ = Withdrew due to injury ^PRE = Preliminary squad ^WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue ^RET = Retired from the national team

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
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	To be determined									2025	Did not qualify
Total				8	3	0	5	5	18	23rd		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)
Biggest defeat	Slovakia 4–0 Croatia (Senec, Slovakia; 26 September 2023)

Individual statistics

As of 29 October 2024

Most capped players

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

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Iva Landeka	102	14	2006–2022
2	Kristina Nevrkla	97	4	2008–
3	Sandra Žigić	94	10	2005–2019
4	Izabela Lojna	90	14	2010–
5	Doris Bačić	86	0	2011–
6	Maja Joščak	79	20	2006–
7	Leonarda Balog	72	1	2009–
8	Kristina Šundov	59	8	2003–2020
9	Violeta Baban	58	8	2002–2016
10	Ana Jelenčić	57	1	2011–

Top goalscorers

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

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ivana Rudelić	20	53	0.38	2015–
1	Maja Joščak	20	79	0.25	2006–
3	Katarina Kolar	16	40	0.4	2006–2014
4	Izabela Lojna	14	90	0.16	2010–
4	Iva Landeka	14	102	0.14	2006–2022
6	Marina Koljenik	13	35	0.37	1994–2007
7	Ljiljana Jakšić	12	22	0.55	1995–2005
8	Sandra Žigić	10	94	0.11	2005–2019
9	Violeta Baban	8	58	0.14	2003–2020
9	Kristina Šundov	8	59	0.14	2002–2016

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

^ Now represents Bosnia and Herzegovina.

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
^ Izbornik Nenad Gračan objavio je popis ženske A reprezentacije za prvi krug dodatnih kvalifikacija za Europsko prvenstvo protiv Sjeverne Irske na domaćem terenu i u gostima

[4] 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.

[Pajazetović-3] Now represents Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[FIFA_Women's_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.

[2] Izbornik Nenad Gračan objavio je popis ženske A reprezentacije za prvi krug dodatnih kvalifikacija za Europsko prvenstvo protiv Sjeverne Irske na domaćem terenu i u gostima

[1]

[2]

[note 1]

[a]