Croatia defeated Bulgaria 4:0 in Pula and secured the playoffs for the 2027 Women's World Cup
The Croatia women's national football team finished the league part of UEFA's qualifications for the 2027 World Cup with a convincing victory against Bulgaria. At the Aldo Drosina Stadium in Pula, in the match of the sixth round of Group C2 of League C, Croatia celebrated a 4:0 win on June 9, 2026, and concluded the encounter without conceding a goal. According to the report of the Croatian Football Federation, the victory was enough to confirm second place in the group and the continuation of the fight through the playoffs, although first place went to Kosovo because of a better overall goal difference. Croatia thus finished the qualifying cycle with 15 points, the same return as Kosovo, but with a goal difference of +15 compared with Kosovo's +17. Bulgaria concluded the competition in third place, while Gibraltar remained without points.
Martina Čavar scored twice, Croatia broke the match open at the start of the second half
According to the official HNS report, Croatia took the lead in the 26th minute, when Martina Čavar shook the Bulgarian net for the first time. The 1:0 score remained on the scoreboard until the break, and the match was decided during a period of strong Croatian pressure immediately after the start of the second half. Janja Čanjevac, who a few days earlier had brought victory away against Kosovo, increased the lead to 2:0 in the 49th minute. Just two minutes later, Čavar, with her second goal of the match, took Croatia to 3:0 and practically removed any uncertainty about the outcome of the encounter. The final 4:0 was set by Karla Kurkutović in the 67th minute, confirming one of the most important victories of the Croatian national team in this qualifying cycle.
The HNS match record states that the encounter was played in front of 200 spectators, and the refereeing team was led by Melissa Burgin from England. The same record confirms that there were no yellow cards in the match, which further shows that Croatia reached a high victory without major disciplinary problems. Head coach Nenad Gračan started the match with Doris Bačić in goal, while the starting line-up also included Barbara Živković, Helena Spajić, Tea Vračević, Petra Pezelj, Bianca Rose Galić, Lucija Vunić, Martina Čavar, Karla Kurkutović, Janja Čanjevac and Ivana Rudelić. In the continuation, Lucia Orkić, Ana Bakalar, Ella Ljustina, Petra Mikulica and Antonela Grgić were given opportunities. Bulgaria was led by head coach Kaloyan Petkov, and according to the HNS record Milena Karakoleva was in goal, while Nikoleta Boycheva had the captain's role.
A clean sheet and attacking output to confirm stability
The victory against Bulgaria was important not only because of the result, but also because of the way Croatia closed the group. According to HNS, the national team recorded five wins and one defeat in six appearances, with a total of 16 goals scored and only one conceded. In that run, Croatia defeated Bulgaria twice, celebrating 1:0 in Sofia at the start of the qualifications and 4:0 in Pula in the final round. Against Gibraltar it recorded victories of 9:0 and 1:0, and against Kosovo it had one win and one defeat. Particularly important was the 1:0 away victory in Pristina on June 5, 2026, with which Croatia remained in the fight for the playoffs until the last round.
Such a ratio showed that Croatia had found a balance in League C between attacking efficiency and defensive security. The only goal conceded in the entire cycle came in the home defeat 0:1 to Kosovo, and all other encounters ended without a goal in the Croatian net. In the context of qualifications played in short national-team windows, such defensive stability carries special weight because it reduces the room for mistakes in groups in which nuances often decide. It was precisely nuances, in this case goal difference, that decided that Kosovo would finish ahead of Croatia. Still, Croatia, as one of the two best second-placed national teams in League C, secured the continuation of the competition, which according to UEFA's overview of the qualifying status was enough to enter the playoffs.
Kosovo finished first, Croatia among the best second-placed national teams of League C
According to UEFA's data after the end of the league phase, Group C2 was won by Kosovo with 15 points and a goal difference of +17. Croatia finished second with 15 points and a goal difference of +15, Bulgaria third with six points and a goal difference of -1, and Gibraltar fourth without points and with a goal difference of -31. UEFA's qualifying overview states that Kosovo, as group winner, was confirmed in the playoffs and promoted to a higher tier for the next cycle, while Croatia was confirmed in the playoffs as one of the two best second-placed national teams of League C. Bulgaria and Gibraltar, according to the same source, remain in League C.
In practice, this means that Croatia missed automatic promotion from the group, but did not remain without a competitive continuation. UEFA's rules for European qualifications connect the result in the league phase with two levels of goals: the fight for qualification for the World Cup and changes in league status for the next cycle. For that reason, the victory against Bulgaria had double value. It kept Croatia among the national teams continuing the path toward Brazil, but at the same time confirmed the continuity of results after a successful run in the group. According to HNS, the results against fourth-placed Gibraltar count for the final standings within the group, while they are excluded only when comparing certain national teams between different groups of League C.
Next comes the playoff draw in Nyon and a significantly more demanding opponent
After the end of the league part, Croatia awaits the playoff draw, which according to the HNS announcement is scheduled for June 18, 2026, at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. UEFA's playoff system provides for two paths, and Croatia, as a representative of League C, will enter the first round against a national team that finished the competition in second or third place in one of the groups of League A. This means that the next opponent, regardless of the draw, will come from a stronger tier of European women's football. According to UEFA, the teams from League A in the playoffs include, among others, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Austria and the Republic of Ireland. For Croatia, such a duel will represent a qualitative step up compared with most matches in Group C2.
According to UEFA's schedule, the first round of the playoffs will be played from October 7 to 13, 2026, and the second round from November 25 to December 5, 2026. In the second round, the winners of the first part of the playoffs will continue the fight for places at the final tournament. UEFA states that the seven best-ranked winners of the second round according to the overall ranking of the European qualifications will secure direct qualification for the World Cup, while one national team will continue through the intercontinental qualifications. The European zone has 11 places for the finals in Brazil, with the possibility of an additional qualification through the intercontinental path. That makes this playoff especially demanding because it is not enough merely to overcome one obstacle; the final outcome will also depend on ranking and the overall qualifying standings.
Brazil 2027 as the great goal of the European qualifications
FIFA has confirmed Brazil as the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup, and the official competition website states that the tournament will be held from June 24 to July 25, 2027. It will be the tenth edition of the Women's World Cup and the first to be held in South America. UEFA's league phase, concluded on June 9, 2026, has already directly taken four European national teams to the final tournament: Denmark, France, Germany and the reigning world champion Spain. Another 32 national teams from the European qualifications continue the fight through the autumn playoffs, including Croatia.
For the Croatian national team, entering the playoffs has sporting, developmental and symbolic significance. In sporting terms, it is an opportunity to measure itself in two-legged ties against national teams from League A and test the level the team can reach against opponents from a higher competitive class. Developmentally, the continuity of results in the qualifications and a larger number of competitively important matches can be an incentive for players already competing in foreign leagues, but also for those coming from the domestic club environment. Symbolically, a cycle with five victories and only one goal conceded shows that Croatia in women's football has a generation capable of maintaining a high level of result discipline. That does not change the fact that the playoffs will be significantly harder, but it provides a framework for realistic ambition and a clear assessment of the next step.
Doris Bačić marked her 100th appearance, Ivana Rudelić said farewell to the national team
The match in Pula also had strong personal significance for two important Croatian internationals. According to HNS, captain and goalkeeper Doris Bačić received a commemorative gift before the start of the encounter for her 100th appearance in the national team jersey. She marked the jubilee in the best possible way, with a match without conceding a goal, on an evening in which Croatia closed the qualifying group with a convincing victory. Bačić was part of a team in this cycle that defensively had one of the most convincing records in League C, and the fact of only one goal conceded in six matches particularly emphasizes the importance of continuity in the goalkeeper position and in the last line.
HNS also announced that the duel against Bulgaria was the national-team farewell of Ivana Rudelić, a forward who is withdrawing from the national team after 68 appearances and 24 goals. Rudelić was in the starting line-up in Pula and played until the 79th minute, when she was replaced by Ella Ljustina. Her departure marks the end of one important national-team episode, but it coincided with a match in which Croatia confirmed the continuation of its fight for the World Cup. In the team entering the playoffs, the experience of players such as Bačić will remain, but also the increasingly visible role of players who carried the group finale, including Čavar, Čanjevac and Kurkutović as scorers in the decisive victory.
A victory that raises the criteria ahead of autumn
The 4:0 result against Bulgaria at first glance speaks of a one-sided match, but its broader significance is connected with the entire cycle. Croatia showed in the qualifications that it can win matches in which it carries the role of favorite, which in national-team football is often just as demanding as surprising a stronger opponent. The victory in Pula came after an important away victory in Kosovo, and it was precisely that final run that gave the national team the necessary momentum for the playoffs. According to official UEFA and HNS data, Croatia remained behind Kosovo solely because of goal difference, although it concluded the group with the same number of points as the winner. Such an outcome leaves the impression of a missed opportunity for first place, but also confirms that the national team was very close to the top of the group.
Ahead of the October playoffs, the most important thing will be to turn the positive qualifying impression into competitiveness against opponents from League A. Croatia will no longer have the advantage of tier nor the status of a team expected to fight for the top of the group, but will have to seek a result against a national team with stronger international experience. In doing so, the defensive solidity from Group C2 will be one of the main pillars, while the attacking output from Pula will be an incentive to seek a greater number of solutions in the final third. The draw on June 18 will determine the concrete sporting picture of the autumn, but what is clear after June 9 is that Croatia, with its 4:0 victory against Bulgaria, secured the continuation of the path toward Brazil and concluded the league phase with a result that gives it the right to serious ambitions in the next round.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – report from the Croatia - Bulgaria match and qualifying context of Group C2 (link)
- HNS results – official match record of Croatia - Bulgaria 4:0 in Pula (link)
- UEFA – overview of all results of the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup (link)
- UEFA – overview of national teams that secured qualification or playoffs and explanation of the qualifying format (link)
- FIFA – official website of the Brazil 2027 Women's World Cup with tournament dates (link)