Official: Croatia coach Dalic to stay until 2026

2023-03-20 10:37

Official: Croatia coach Dalic to stay until 2026


The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) announced on Sunday that the contract of 56-year-old coach Zlatko Dalic has been extended.


As confirmed by president Marijan Kustic, Dalic will continue to lead Croatia until the end of the 2026 World Cup.


Zlatko Dalic was born in Livno on October 26, 1966. He has played in the professional league of his country for a long time as a player. After hanging up his boots at the age of 31, Dalic became an assistant coach at the last club he played for in his career, Varaždin, and became the first-team coach for the first time five years later. In June 2007, he left Varaždin due to the expiration of his contract, and then moved to Rijeka, Dynamo Kyiv, Slaven Belupo Koprivnica, Al-Faisaly, Al-Hilal and Al-Ain.


In October 2017, Dalic took over the Croatian team midway, replacing Ante Cacic, who was dismissed as coach due to poor record. In the following year, Dalic led Croatia, Nigeria, Argentina, Iceland, Denmark, Russia, and England to the World Cup finals, but they lost 2-4 to France and finished second.


In 2021, HNS renewed the contract with Dalich until 2024 to reward his outstanding coaching achievements. One year later, in the World Cup in Qatar, Dalic once again led Croatia to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Argentina 3-0 and then defeated Morocco to win third place.


On the day of contract renewal, Dalic's joy was beyond words. He said in a statement, "Thanks to Chairman Kustic and all the Football Association staff for their strong trust in me and their strong support for my work. I have pointed out many times that becoming the coach of Croatia is the greatest honor and honor I can have as a player. Fun. As a coach, I have great expectations for the future of the Croatian national team."


Dalic later added that after he renewed his contract, he will focus on leading Croatia to win the UEFA Nations League championship, and even achieve good results in the 2024 European Cup. "Even with our great success, I have been working with the Croatian team with enthusiasm and ambition. I believe there are many great challenges ahead," he said.


"We're committed to winning the Nations League in June and we want to be part of the Euros in Germany next summer - fulfilling the dream of playing a big event in front of thousands of fans."


"I love working with our players, my wonderful staff, and I can't imagine a better and more honorable job than coaching the Croatian national team," concluded Dalic.