Josko Gvardiol says he expects the World Cup jokes to begin at Manchester City as Croatia prepare to face England in the group stage next summer.
Croatia will open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Thomas Tuchel’s side in Dallas on June 17, a match that could see Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic come up against several City teammates including Phil Foden, John Stones and Nico O’Reilly.
Gvardiol has not yet begun the mind games but expects the build-up to change as the tournament approaches.
Croatia vs England: Gvardiol ‘happy’
“Not yet – maybe a month before it starts,” Gvardiol said of the potential humour. “I’m happy that I’m going to see them. Hopefully all of them will be in the team.”
He added that he had already spoken to former England international Kalvin Phillips about the game.
“I remember my first Euros, his first Euros, we played against each other in the first game [at Euro 2020],” he added. “Kalvin was there, John, Phil, Kyle [Walker, for England]. I was playing as a full-back, so I was on Kyle’s side [of the pitch].
The fixture adds another chapter to a growing rivalry. Croatia beat England in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals before England claimed victory in the sides’ opening game of the 2020 edition, which was held in 2021.
Raheem Sterling, who ended his seven-year stay at City a year before Gvardiol arrived in 2022, scored the only goal in that match at Wembley Stadium.
World Cup 2026 ‘big’ for Croatia
“It’s a big thing to be at the World Cup,” Gvardiol said. “When it starts, all we try to do is go game by game and try to win as many points as possible and qualify for the next round.”
Despite a population of under four million, Croatia have reached the semi-finals of the last two World Cups, finishing runners-up in 2018 and losing to eventual champions Argentina in 2022.
“We need to stay on the ground,” Gvardiol said. “We’re a small nation and we go game by game. That’s it.
“Even with the results in Russia [in 2018] and Qatar [2022], we weren’t expecting it. With a bit of luck and the energy we put into the games, anything is possible.”