Croatia finished as runners-up in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, losing 4–2 to France in the final. The match was played on 15 July 2018 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium before 78,011 spectators.
Croatia reached its first-ever World Cup final after an exhausting knockout run. The team needed extra time to defeat Denmark and Russia, then beat England 2–1 in extra time in the semi-final. Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, Ivan Perišić and Mario Mandžukić were among the leaders of a celebrated Croatian generation.
The final began dramatically. Mandžukić accidentally scored an own goal for France in the 18th minute, but Perišić equalised ten minutes later. France then took control through a penalty from Antoine Griezmann, followed by goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé. Mandžukić scored late for Croatia, but France held on.
The result was Croatia’s best World Cup finish. Its previous high point had been third place in 1998, when France also defeated Croatia in the semi-final before winning the tournament.