Will Croatia continue its strong run against Brazil?
If you look at the 2026 World Cup favorites, you won’t find Croatia on the list. This is quite remarkable for two reasons. First, because the Kockasti have recently impressed at the World Cup level with consistently good results, finishing as World Cup runners-up in 2018 and third in Qatar in 2022.
Second, because the Croatian national team is currently unbeaten in nine international matches (eight wins, one draw) and, unlike the Selecao, didn’t drop a single point in World Cup qualifying. This makes betting on a victory for the Samba Boys in the friendly between Brazil and Croatia all the more risky.
While the Selecao just lost a friendly against France in the U.S. 1-2 despite having a man advantage for much of the game—their third defeat in the last six international matches (two wins, one draw) – the Kockasti ultimately secured a 2-1 victory over Colombia – a nation that finished the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers two places ahead of Brazil. In our assessment, a Croatian victory over the Brazilians would therefore not come entirely out of the blue. Thus, we would not rule anything out in the three-way system and instead recommend betting on a high-scoring game. Our main recommendation is for goals on both sides.
On the one hand, both coaches want to see how their potential starting lineup performs at the highest level. On the other hand, however, it’s also about driving forward the transition that both nations are facing and bringing in more players, which is why we also expect some substitutions. This could lead to the team’s usual routines not working quite as well, especially in the second half, and the game becoming more disjointed.
Brazil – Croatia Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head: 3 – 2 – 0
Five international matches have taken place between the two nations so far, and the Croatian national soccer team has never managed to secure a victory against the Seleção. However: The last meeting between the two teams, which took place in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, went to a penalty shootout with the score tied at 1-1. Officially, it was recorded as a draw, even though the Kockasti won the shootout 4-2, eliminating the Brazilians from the tournament.
Brazil – Croatia Prediction
Basically, we’re surprised that the top bookmakers’ odds for Brazil vs. Croatia are so clearly in favor of the team from the Sugar Loaf, which doesn’t even have home-field advantage on neutral ground in Florida.
Apart from the head-to-head record, we don’t see much else in the Selecao’s favor. The Croatians are the team in better form and even beat the Colombian squad in their last friendly—a team that finished two spots ahead of the Brazilian national team in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
Nevertheless, we wouldn’t categorically rule out a victory for the favored Brazilians, which is why we wouldn’t make a prediction on the outcome of the Brazil vs. Croatia match. Significantly more value than in the vague three-way system can be found in betting on a high-scoring friendly, though we favor the bet on both teams to score.
