2018 World Cup Playoffs: Who Can Croatia Play & When?

Croatia beat Ukraine to make it through to the playoffs (Photo credit: HNS)

Last night’s 2-0 win over Ukraine has given Croatia a chance of two legs in the playoffs to earn a spot at next summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Andrej Kramaric’s double in Kiev booked Croatia a World Cup playoff spot, a position they have been in before ahead of major tournaments.

Croatia’s best performance at a major tournament, in France at the 1998 World Cup, came after Ciro Blazevic’s side got through a playoff.

Andrej Kramaric bagged a double (Photo credit: HNS)

The Draw?

The playoff draw will be made on Tuesday, 17 October 2017 at Fifa headquarters in Zurich.

Croatia’s Opponents?

Croatia has been seeded for the draw, meaning it will avoid higher ranked teams in the draw of 8 teams.

Seeded teams: Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Denmark
Unseeded teams: Sweden, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Greece

So Croatia will draw one of – Sweden, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland or Greece.

Playoff Match Days

When will the matches be played?

The first legs will take place on Thursday 9th, Friday 10th and Saturday 11th of November. The second legs will take place on Sunday 12th, Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th of November. The days Croatia will play will be revealed at the draw next Tuesday.

(Photo credit: HNS)

The winners of each playoff will advance to the draw for the 2018 World Cup on December 1st in the Kremlin.