Croatia women's national football team

Croatia women
Nickname	Lavice (The Lionesses)
Association	Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Nenad Gračan
Captain	Doris Bačić
Most caps	Iva Landeka (102)
Top scorer	Maja Joščak (20)
FIFA code	CRO
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	59 (7 August 2025)
Highest	44 (July 2003 – June 2005)
Lowest	65 (November 2010; July 2011)
First international
	Slovenia 3–2 Croatia ; (Ižakovci, Slovenia; 28 October 1993)
Biggest win
	Croatia 8–2 Slovenia ; (Kecskemét, Hungary; 27 May 2001)
Biggest defeat
	Romania 10–0 Croatia ; (Bucharest, Romania; 2 October 2004)
Website	hns-cff.hr

Last updated November 18, 2025

The Croatia women's national football team represents Croatia in international women's football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Lavice ('Lionesses'). So far, the Lavice have not qualified for any major tournament.

History

After winning independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the newly established Croatian Football Federation immediately moved toward creating separate national football teams to represent the country, which included the establishment of the women's team. Three years after the men's team debut, the women's team of Croatia officially marked their international debut, playing against neighbouring Slovenia in a friendly on 28 October 1993, where Croatia lost 2–3 away.

Since its inception, the women's team of Croatia has suffered from the lack of coverage from the increasingly successful men's side. Most of Croatia's female footballers, unlike the male ones, are made up of only amateur or part-timers, and thus they are not adequately trained. As for the result, while the men's team has been largely competitive and qualified for several UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup, the women's team is unable to repeat the same as the men's one, and has a tendency of being finished near bottom or bottom of the qualifications for UEFA Women's Championship and FIFA Women's World Cup.

Team image

Nicknames

The Croatia women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Lavice".^{[ citation needed ]}

Rivalry

Like the men's counterparts, the Croatian women's team also maintained a rivalry with its neighbour Serbia. However, unlike the men's, the women's team of Croatia, which has long suffered from lack of investment, could not demonstrate its domination against its Serbian arch-rival.

Recent results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

Win Draw Lose Fixture

2024

30 November Friendly	Croatia	1–1	Slovenia	Čakovec, Croatia
14:00 UTC+1	Slipčević 85'	Report	Kajzba 15'	Stadium: Stadion SRC Mladost Attendance: 500 Referee: Filip Glavić (Croatia)

2025

21 February 2025 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	0–4	Czech Republic	Pula, Croatia
19:00		Report	Stašková 15' Khýrová 18' Krejčiříková 29' Svitková 63'	Stadium: Stadion Aldo Drosina Attendance: 327 Referee: Abigail Byrne (England)

25 February 2025 UEFA Nations League	Ukraine	2–1	Croatia	Elbasan, Albania^{[note 1]}
18:00 UTC+1	Kotyk 2' Kalinina 61'	Report	Nevrkla 69'	Stadium: Elbasan Arena Attendance: 10 Referee: Shona Shukrula (Netherlands)

4 April 2025 Nations League B	Albania	4–0	Croatia	Shkodër, Albania
16:00	Berisha 14' Hila 24' Doçi 72' Hamonikaj 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Attendance: 436 Referee: Alexandra Collin (France)

8 April 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	1–2	Albania	Zagreb, Croatia
16:00	Slipčević 11'	Report	Berisha 32' Balog 71' (o.g.)	Stadium: Sport Centre Rudes Attendance: 377 Referee: Maria Marotta (Italy)

30 May 2025 Nations League B	Czech Republic	5–0	Croatia	Chomutov, Czech Republic
17:00	Khýrová 6' Svitková 18' Pochmanová 23' Dubcová 47' Polášková 53'	Report		Stadium: Letní stadion Referee: Karoline Wacker (Germany)

3 June 2025 Nations League B	Croatia	2–0	Ukraine	Karlovac, Croatia
19:00	Vračević 11' Živković 52'	Report		Stadium: Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek Attendance: 238 Referee: Deborah Anex (Switzerland)

24 October Friendly	Croatia	1–3	Montenegro	Zmijavci, Croatia
15:00 UTC+1	Kurkutović 60'	Report	Kuč 18' Tomašević 36' Dešić 45+??'	Stadium: Stadion ŠRC Marijan Šuto Mrma

27 October Friendly	Croatia	2–1	Montenegro	Dugopolje, Croatia
12:00 UTC+1	Kurkutović 35', 49'	Report	Karličić 31'	Stadium: Hrvatski vitezovi stadium

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Nenad Gračan
Assistant Coach	Jure Perković
Assistant Coach	Nenad Glušica
Assistant Coach	Helena Hercigonja-Moulton
Goalkeeping Coach	Blaž Bugarin

Source:

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the Friendly matches Montenegro on 24 and 27 October 2025. ^[3]

Caps and goals correct as of 27 October 2025, after the match against Montenegro.^[4]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Doris Bačić (captain)	(1995-02-23) 23 February 1995 (age 30)	92	0	Napoli
12	1 GK	Ana Filipović	(2003-07-04) 4 July 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Dinamo Zagreb
23	1 GK	Ana Ristovski	(2008-01-20) 20 January 2008 (age 17)	2	0	Hajduk Split

2	2 DF	Lucia Orkić	(2005-06-22) 22 June 2005 (age 20)	7	0	Bergheim [ de ]
3	2 DF	Ana Jelenčić	(1994-06-08) 8 June 1994 (age 31)	63	1	Servette
5	2 DF	Kristina Nevrkla	(1990-07-05) 5 July 1990 (age 35)	106	5	Osijek
6	2 DF	Tea Vračević	(2006-04-25) 25 April 2006 (age 19)	16	1	St. Pölten
14	2 DF	Antonia Dulčić	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 28)	42	0	Hajduk Split
19	2 DF	Janja Čanjevac	(2000-11-14) 14 November 2000 (age 25)	23	0	Hajduk Split

4	3 MF	Lucija Vunić	(2006-02-18) 18 February 2006 (age 19)	2	0	Dinamo Zagreb
8	3 MF	Maja Joščak	(1990-08-04) 4 August 1990 (age 35)	86	20	Osijek
10	3 MF	Izabela Lojna	(1992-05-11) 11 May 1992 (age 33)	99	14	Osijek
11	3 MF	Ivana Slipčević	(1998-08-23) 23 August 1998 (age 27)	25	2	FC Ingolstadt
13	3 MF	Helena Spajić	(2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 (age 25)	30	0	Dinamo Zagreb
15	3 MF	Laura Vlastelica	(2005-12-02) 2 December 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Hajduk Split
16	3 MF	Ružica Krajinović	(2002-01-08) 8 January 2002 (age 23)	17	1	Sturm Graz
18	3 MF	Ana Jakobašić	(2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 (age 21)	4	0	Hajduk Split
21	3 MF	Barbara Živković	(2005-02-15) 15 February 2005 (age 20)	8	1	Osijek
22	3 MF	Ana Bakalar	(2000-11-27) 27 November 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Hajduk Split

7	4 FW	Petra Mikulica	(2005-02-02) 2 February 2005 (age 20)	17	0	Grasshopper
9	4 FW	Antea Guvo	(2004-11-10) 10 November 2004 (age 21)	6	0	Peamount United
17	4 FW	Karla Jedvaj	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 25)	18	0	Blau-Weiß Linz
20	4 FW	Karla Kurkutović	(2001-12-27) 27 December 2001 (age 23)	2	3	Honvéd
	4 FW	Martina Ćavar	(2003-05-11) 11 May 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Zürich

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Stephanie Bukovec	(1995-09-22) 22 September 1995 (age 30)	6	0	Calgary Wild	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
GK	Lana Klobučarević	(2008-06-17) 17 June 2008 (age 17)	0	0	Agram	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
GK	Nika Radolović	(2008-04-22) 22 April 2008 (age 17)	2	0	Istra 1961	v. Albania, 8 April 2025

DF	Leonarda Balog	(1993-02-05) 5 February 1993 (age 32)	78	1	St. Pölten	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Maria Kunštek	(1998-11-06) 6 November 1998 (age 27)	33	0	Växjö DFF	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Ana Grdiša	(2007-04-16) 16 April 2007 (age 18)	2	0	Dinamo Zagreb	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Nina Varga	(2005-08-20) 20 August 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Međimurje	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
DF	Tijan McKenna	(2004-09-08) 8 September 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Perth Glory	v. Slovenia, 30 November 2024
DF	Lucia Duras	(2004-12-13) 13 December 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Djurgårdens	v. Slovenia, 30 November 2024

MF	Bianca Galić	(1999-05-14) 14 May 1999 (age 26)	6	0	Sydney FC	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
MF	Helena Damjanović ^PRE	(2005-09-23) 23 September 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Međimurje	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
MF	Anela Lubina	(1995-12-18) 18 December 1995 (age 29)	49	2	Osijek	v. Ukraine, 25 February 2025
MF	Tea Krznarić	(2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 21)	27	0	St. Pölten	v. Ukraine, 25 February 2025
MF	Petra Pezelj ^INJ	(1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 (age 27)	53	2	SFK 2000	v. Czech Republic, 21 February 2025
MF	Matea Bošnjak ^INJ	(1997-12-21) 21 December 1997 (age 27)	33	2	Hajduk Split	v. Northern Ireland, 29 October 2024

FW	Ivana Rudelić	(1992-01-25) 25 January 1992 (age 33)	60	20	Basel	v. Ukraine, 3 June 2025
FW	Marija Došen	(2008-06-03) 3 June 2008 (age 17)	1	0	Unattached	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
FW	Paula Petković	(2006-12-19) 19 December 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Osijek	v. Czech Republic, 30 May 2025
FW	Ana Maria Marković	(1999-11-09) 9 November 1999 (age 26)	25	2	Braga	v. Albania, 8 April 2025
FW	Ana Dujmović	(1996-02-21) 21 February 1996 (age 29)	16	0	Agram	v. Albania, 8 April 2025
FW	Paula Vidović	(2003-06-16) 16 June 2003 (age 22)	9	0	FC Ingolstadt	v. Ukraine, 25 February 2025
FW	Jelena Đorđić	(2001-07-27) 27 July 2001 (age 24)	4	1	USV Neulengbach	v. Czech Republic, 21 February 2025
Notes ^INJ = Withdrew due to injury ^MED = Withdrew due to medical reasons ^PRE = Preliminary squad ^RET = Retired from national team

Competitive record

Champions
Runners-up
Third place
Fourth place
  Tournament played fully or partially on home soil

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1991	Part of Yugoslavia
1995	Did not enter
1999	Did not enter
2003	Did not qualify									2/5	8	4	1	3	16	11
2007										2/4	6	3	0	3	11	11
2011										6/6	10	0	2	8	4	27
2015										4/6	10	2	2	6	7	20
2019										5/5	8	0	3	5	5	20
2023										4/6	10	3	1	6	6	18
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
2035	To be determined									To be determined
Total		0/9							—	0/6	52	12	9	31	49	107

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 6 September 2022 after the match against Lithuania.

Matches
First match	–
Biggest win	–
Biggest defeat	–

UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1969	Part of Yugoslavia
1979
1984
1987
1989
1991
1993	Did not enter
1995	Did not qualify									2/4	6	3	1	2	8	18	–
1997										4/4	8	0	1	7	2	23
2001										4/4	6	1	0	5	7	19
2005										3/5	8	4	1	3	17	22
2009										3/4	3	2	0	1	9	6
2013										5/5	8	0	1	7	6	26
2017										4/5	8	2	1	5	8	15
2022										4/5	8	2	1	5	7	19
2025										3/4	8	3	1	4	5	11	^[a]	25th
2029	To be determined									To be determined
Total		0/10							—	0/9	55	14	6	35	64	148	25th

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out

Correct as of 29 October 2024 after the match against Northern Ireland.

Matches
First match	–
Biggest win	–
Biggest defeat	–

UEFA Women's Nations League

UEFA Women's Nations League												Finals record
Year	Lg	Gp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk	Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2023–24	B	2	2nd	8	3	0	5	5	18	*	23rd	2024	Did not qualify
2025	B	4	4th	6	1	0	5	4	17		31st	2025	Did not qualify
Total				14	4	0	10	9	35	23rd and 31st		Total	0/2	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 5 December 2023 after the match against Romania.

Matches
First match	Croatia 2–1 Romania (Varaždin, Croatia; 22 September 2023)
Biggest win	Croatia 2–0 Slovakia (Velika Gorica, Croatia; 1 December 2023) Croatia 2–0 Ukraine (Karlovac, Croatia; 3 June 2025)
Biggest defeat	Slovakia 4–0 Croatia (Senec, Slovakia; 26 September 2023)

Individual statistics

As of 29 October 2024

Most capped players

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Iva Landeka	102	14	2006–2022
2	Kristina Nevrkla	97	4	2008–
3	Sandra Žigić	94	10	2005–2019
4	Izabela Lojna	90	14	2010–
5	Doris Bačić	86	0	2011–
6	Maja Joščak	79	20	2006–
7	Leonarda Balog	72	1	2009–
8	Kristina Šundov	59	8	2003–2020
9	Violeta Baban	58	8	2002–2016
10	Ana Jelenčić	57	1	2011–

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ivana Rudelić	20	53	0.38	2015–
1	Maja Joščak	20	79	0.25	2006–
3	Katarina Kolar	16	40	0.4	2006–2014
4	Izabela Lojna	14	97	0.14	2010–
4	Iva Landeka	14	102	0.14	2006–2022
6	Marina Koljenik	13	35	0.37	1994–2007
7	Ljiljana Jakšić	12	22	0.55	1995–2005
8	Sandra Žigić	10	94	0.11	2005–2019
9	Violeta Baban	8	58	0.14	2003–2020
9	Kristina Šundov	8	59	0.14	2002–2016

Notes

↑ From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

References

↑ Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.^[2]

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
↑ "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
↑ "Gračan objavio popis igračica za prijateljske utakmice protiv Crne Gore" [Gračan announces list of players for friendly matches against Montenegro] (in Croatian). Hrvatski Nogometni Savez / Croatian Football Federation. 15 October 2025.
↑ Croatian Squad

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[6] From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

[Ukraine-3] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.^[2]

[FIFA_Women's_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.

[decision_ukraine-2] "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[4] "Gračan objavio popis igračica za prijateljske utakmice protiv Crne Gore" [Gračan announces list of players for friendly matches against Montenegro] (in Croatian). Hrvatski Nogometni Savez / Croatian Football Federation. 15 October 2025.

[5] Croatian Squad

[1]

[note 1]

[3]

[4]

[a]

[2]

v t e Croatia national football team
General	Croatian Football Federation History Managers
Statistics	Head to head Hat-tricks
Results	Pre-independence (1940–91) 1992–99 2000–09 2010–19 2020–present
Players	20+ caps 1–19 caps
World Cup Finals	Summary 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 2022
UEFA Euro Finals	Summary 1996 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
UEFA Nations League Finals	Summary 2023
Rivalries	Serbia
Matches	Croatia v Indonesia (1956) Croatia v United States (1990) 2018 FIFA World Cup final 2023 UEFA Nations League final
Goal scorers	Davor Šuker
Other teams	Men's B Under-23 Under-21 Under-20 Under-19 Under-18 Under-17 Under-16 Under-15 Women's Under-19 Under-17 Under-15

v t e National women's football teams of Europe (UEFA)
Active	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
Defunct	Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia
Other	Great Britain Vatican City

v t e Football in Croatia
Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
National teams	Men's: A B U23 U21 U20 U19 U18 U17 U16 U15 Women's: A U19 U17
League system	Men's: HNL 1. NL 2. NL 3. NL 4. NL 1. ŽNL 2. ŽNL 3. ŽNL Women's: 1. HNLŽ 2. HNLŽ
Domestic cups	Men's: Cup Super Cup Women's: Cup
Seasons	1992 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Records List of clubs List of venues International players Men Women