England fans of a certain age have very negative memories when they consider the prospect of playing Croatia. This is chiefly due to an infamous clash that occurred in the qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals when Steve McClaren’s side fell to a surprise 3-2 loss in the pouring rain at Wembley Stadium and, therefore, failed to make it to the finals in Austria and Switzerland.
Then there’s the 2018 FIFA World Cup Semi-Final clash between the two…
Thankfully, that’s a long time ago, and in more recent tournaments, England have not only made it to the finals but have done pretty well, albeit as of 2023, they are still without a title to their name.
England fans looking to support their country at the UEFA European Championship finals may well have experienced the nightmare that is the UEFA ticketing portal ballot, and it’s an experience that leaves the overwhelming majority of supporters in a cold sweat.
The first selection of tickets made available are released before nations have even qualified and ahead of the draw, which means you are applying for games knowing only the time and, date, and location of the match, and not the identity of the two teams playing, which is patently absurd.
Nonetheless, millions of fans enter and are left empty-handed. They might then enter the subsequent lottery-style draw that occurs after the draw, but again, the chances of success via this path are slim to none.
Contrast this with the straightforward approach that the SeatPick platform provides. Simply locate the game you wish to attend, such as England vs Croatia, scroll through the countless ticketing options, from general admission tickets to hospitality packages, and select the one that suits your budget.
It’s as easy as that. SeatPick works with hundreds of the most trusted ticket resellers, which means our users can more easily check out the market, compare prices, and find precisely what they are looking for. Simple.
England vs Croatia UEFA Euros Tournament Record
England’s overall record in the UEFA European Championships is not amazing, albeit improvement has occurred.
The Three Lions first qualified for the finals of the tournament in 1968, when the competition was still a four-team event, and Sir Alf Ramsey’s side was surprisingly beaten by Yugoslavia in the Semi-Finals in Florence.
They then failed to qualify for 1972 and 1976 and were eliminated in the group stage in 1980. Once again, they failed to make it to Euro 84 and then had hideous tournaments in 1988 in Germany and 1992 in Sweden, where England failed to win a single match in either finals.
At Euro 96, they finally started to deliver the goods, clearly buoyed by the support they received from the home crowd as hosts.
Terry Venables’ side were rocking at that tournament and secured some truly memorable results, including a fabulous 4-1 win over the Netherlands and a 2-0 victory over the old enemy, Scotland.
They then defeated Spain to set up a Semi-Final with Germany. The classic that played out at Wembley Stadium ended 1-1 and, surprise surprise, England then lost to the Germans on penalties.
Quarter Final finishes came in 2004 and 2012, and at Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate’s side had England fans daring to dream again, but again, penalties were the method of defeat as they once again lost a key match in this manner, this time to Italy in the UEFA European Championship Final, at Wembley Stadium.
Croatia have qualified for the finals on six occasions, and on two occasions, they battled their way to the final eight
At Euro 96, a strong Croatian side, including legends like Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki, and Zvonimir Boban, fell to Germany at Old Trafford, and in 2008, it was Turkey who knocked them out at the Quarter-Final stage.
England vs Croatia Head-to-Head
England and Croatia have met in the UEFA European Championships on four occasions, two of which came in the finals of the tournament.
At Euro 2004, England overcame Croatia 4-2 in Lisbon, with Wayne Rooney netting twice, as a result, they progressed while their opponents did not.
Their other finals meeting took place at Euro 2020, and a Raheem Sterling goal saw England edge past their rivals at Wembley Stadium 1-0, though both teams would go on to qualify from their group.
The most infamous clash between the two in the UEFA European Championships came in November 2007, and it was a game England needed to avoid defeat in order to qualify for the finals.
Croatia, who had already qualified, went two goals up after 14 minutes before efforts from Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch leveled the game, only for Mladen Petric to score a winner with 13 minutes left in a game that was best remembered for a particularly poor performance from keeper Scott Carson.
