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ALEXANDRIA, VA. - For a month this summer, Zlatko Dalić held court in a press room at Episcopal High School, fielding questions about his team, his tactics, and the Northern Virginia city that had become Croatia's World Cup home. Now the coach Alexandria came to know over that month is stepping away.
Dalić has ended his tenure as head coach of the Croatian national team following the 2026 World Cup, informing Croatian Football Federation President Marijan Kustić of his decision at a meeting at the federation's headquarters, the HNS announced.
He leaves as the most successful and longest-serving coach in the history of the Croatian national team.
Nearly nine years, three medals
Over almost nine years in charge, Dalić guided Croatia to a World Cup final and a third-place finish, winning silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022, along with a runner-up finish in the 2023 UEFA Nations League, according to the HNS. He also led the team to qualification for the 2020 and 2024 European Championships and the 2026 World Cup.
In his farewell message, Dalić said the decision was the hardest of his career, and spoke of pride not only in the results but in the unity built within the team and with the Croatian people, the federation said. He leaves, in his words, "with a full heart."
Dalić thanked his staff, the federation, the fans, the media and his family, and reserved particular gratitude for his players — from captain Luka Modrić to the young players introduced into the squad over the years. Croatia's future, he said, is bright in them.
Kustić, in a tribute published by the HNS, called Dalić the greatest and most successful coach the country has ever had, writing that he gave Croatians the belief that "a small nation can achieve the biggest dreams."
A theme Alexandria came to recognize
That idea — a small nation punching above its weight — was one Alexandria heard often during Croatia's stay, and not only from the coach.
Croatia chose the city as its base camp over dozens of other North American sites, training at Episcopal High School and staying in Old Town from early June until its elimination. Over those weeks, Dalić spoke regularly with local and international media, and in his final Alexandria news conference, he offered an unqualified verdict on the city that had hosted his team, calling it "beautiful" and "peaceful."
It was Dalić, too, who walked reporters through the turnaround that defined Croatia's tournament — the decision, after an opening loss to England, to publicly shoulder responsibility and restore his players' confidence, a choice that preceded wins over Panama and Ghana and a place in the knockout round.
Croatia's World Cup — and, with it, Alexandria's month-long rooting interest — ended July 2 in Toronto, where Portugal rallied for a 2-1 win in the Round of 32. It proved to be the final match of Dalić's era, and likely among the last for the generation of players, Modrić chief among them, that he leaves behind.
He departs, he said, believing more success will come. For Alexandria, it was a rare thing: a front-row seat, for one summer, to the closing chapter of the most successful era in a nation's football history.
Ryan Belmore
Ryan Belmore
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