Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
In March, Croatia came close to securing another major result, narrowly missing out on a place in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals following a 3:2 aggregate defeat to France. Against Gibraltar, Croatia are expected to dominate from the outset, restricting any attacking efforts by the underdogs deep in their own half.
Gibraltar
Ahead of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Gibraltar had gone seven matches unbeaten—a streak largely attributed to the level of opposition. In the lowest division of the Nations League, Gibraltar scored just four goals in a group featuring San Marino and Liechtenstein, finishing second. However, those limitations were quickly exposed in defeats to Montenegro (1:3) and the Czech Republic (0:4)—across 180 minutes of qualification football, the squad conceded a worrying 7.60 expected goals against and allowed 21 shots on target.
Croatia
Having reached the final four in the last two World Cups, Croatia are focused on progressing through qualification without unnecessary complications. In the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals, Croatia efficiently executed their tactical plan against France (2:0) on counter-attacks, despite Andrej Kramarić missing a penalty. In June, Croatia are likely to lean on the form of Ante Budimir—the experienced Osasuna forward scored 21 goals in La Liga, finishing among the league’s top five scorers.
Gibraltar vs Croatia Prediction
The only previous encounter between Gibraltar and Croatia took place ten years ago, when Luka Modrić and his teammates secured a comfortable 4:0 victory. The gap in quality remains clear, and Croatia are expected to surpass their individual Total Over.
