Olić announces a shift toward Panama: Croatia seeks a response after defeat to England
The Croatian national football team has continued preparations for the second match of Group L at the 2026 World Cup, in which it will face Panama, an opponent that also remained without points in the first round. After the 4:2 defeat to England in Dallas, the emphasis in the Croatian team's camp has shifted from analyzing mistakes to a concrete plan for the match in Toronto. According to the Croatian Football Federation, the Panama - Croatia match is scheduled for June 23 at 19:00 local time in Toronto, or June 24 at 01:00 Central European Summer Time. In practical terms, it is a duel in which both national teams are looking for their first points, while England and Ghana have the advantage after the group opener. In the new tournament format, in which the two best national teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance, there is room for recovery, but after an opening defeat it narrows considerably.
The third day after England marked the beginning of preparation for Panama
Ivica Olić, a member of head coach Zlatko Dalić's staff and a former Croatian international, said in a statement published on the HNS website that the team had enough time for rest, discussion and analysis after the encounter with England. According to him, the third day after the match was the first real training session in terms of concrete preparation for Panama, because the first two days served for regeneration and clearing impressions. Olić pointed out that the staff now expects full focus on the next challenge, without dwelling on a result that can no longer be changed. Such an approach in a tournament competition is not only a psychological message, but also a necessity: the schedule leaves little time for prolonged reflection on what was missed, and every subsequent match directly affects the chances of continuing in the competition. Against England, Croatia showed attacking sequences that the staff considers a useful foundation for the continuation of the tournament, but at the same time it opened questions that can no longer be postponed.
Olić, according to the HNS publication, particularly emphasized that the staff had already separated what was good against England from what was bad. He placed both Croatian goals, scored after well-developed moves, in the positive category, which for the coaching staff represents proof that the team can create situations even against the strongest opponents. In that match, Croatia twice caught up from behind, first with a goal by Martin Baturina, and then with a goal by Petar Musa at the end of the first half, as confirmed by FIFA and HNS reports. The problem, however, was in the other direction of play: England reached victory thanks to better use of set pieces, greater aggressiveness in key periods and a faster start to the second half. Precisely for that reason, preparation for Panama cannot be only an attacking plan, but also a test of whether Croatia can quickly improve concentration in the phases in which matches at major tournaments are decided.
The defeat to England revealed weaknesses that must be closed down
On June 17 in Dallas, Croatia lost to England 4:2 in the first match of Group L. According to FIFA's report, England took the lead through Harry Kane, Croatia came back with goals by Baturina and Musa, and after the break Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford brought England the victory. Head coach Zlatko Dalić admitted the day after the match, according to HNS, that England had been the better opponent and that the Croatian team had defended set pieces particularly poorly. Dalić also emphasized that Croatia came back into the match twice in the first half, but that the quick goal at the start of the second half changed the rhythm of the encounter and psychologically hit the team. That part of the analysis is important ahead of Panama as well, because an opponent seeking its first point of the tournament may additionally insist on physical duels, crosses and situations in which every lapse in attention is punished.
Olić opened the same topic from the staff's perspective and recalled, according to HNS, that Croatia had mostly controlled defensive set pieces successfully in the previous period. In his assessment, that is precisely why the goals conceded against England were more painful, because they did not arise exclusively from the opponent's play, but also from the loss of positions, concentration and determination. Josip Šutalo, who spoke for HNS on June 21, also warned that set pieces against England were not at the required level and that every player must take greater responsibility in those tasks. This creates a clear shared emphasis within the national team: preparation for Panama will not be reduced only to tactical positioning, but also to reaction in contact, the second ball and stability in moments of pressure. In a group in which goal difference could carry great weight, reducing the number of cheaply allowed chances becomes just as important as seeking victory.
Panama comes from a narrow defeat, but with a clear style of play
Panama lost 1:0 to Ghana in Toronto in the first round of Group L. According to FIFA's report, the decisive goal was scored by Caleb Yirenkyi in the fifth minute of stoppage time, giving Ghana three points after a match in which Panama remained in competitive balance for a long time. Such a defeat changes the emotional framework of the next encounter: Panama does not enter the match against Croatia as a team that was outplayed throughout, but as a national team that was close to a point until the very end. In his preview, Olić emphasized that the Croatian staff had watched Panama's performance against Ghana and noticed a team that wants to have the ball, attack and create chances. He also added that before the recent defeat to Mexico, according to the staff's analysis, Panama had a run of thirteen matches without defeat and conceded few goals.
This means that Croatia is not preparing a match against an opponent that will necessarily wait deep and give up possession. According to HNS, Olić announced Croatia's desire to take control from the first minute, play a high press and create constant danger in front of the Panamanian goal. Such a plan has clear logic: after a match in which set pieces were a major problem, the best way to reduce risk is to keep the opponent away from dangerous zones and force it into making decisions under pressure. At the same time, Panama showed against Ghana that it can remain competitively solid and that it does not need a large number of chances to stay in the match. Croatia will therefore have to combine patient possession with faster final actions, because merely keeping the ball without getting behind the defensive line would not be enough against a team that knows how to defend in a block.
The attacking segment remains a source of optimism
Despite the defeat, the Croatian staff sees attacking elements in the encounter with England that it wants to carry into the continuation of the tournament. Olić, according to HNS, called the two Croatian goals examples of well-prepared actions, and he especially emphasized the depth of the squad and the importance of players coming off the bench. In tournament football, this is not a secondary detail, because the rhythm of matches, climate conditions, travel and different styles of opponents are often resolved precisely by the contribution of players who do not start the match. In that sense, Croatia has several profiles of forwards and midfielders who can change the dynamics: from players capable of holding the ball and connecting the lines to those who attack space and finish actions with fewer touches. After two goals against England, the question is no longer whether Croatia can create chances, but whether it can produce them for longer periods and with fewer mistakes behind the ball.
Petar Sučić, who according to HNS spoke after the match about his cooperation with Martin Baturina, assessed that Croatia can draw positive conclusions from the defeat as well. According to him, the team showed during much of the first half that it could compete equally with England, with a clear note that the negative things must be corrected. The cooperation between Sučić and Baturina is important because it represents one of the transitions between the older generation, which marked the last major competitions, and players who are taking on an ever greater share of responsibility. In that context, the announced jubilee of Luka Modrić, who should reach his 200th appearance for the national team against Panama if he plays, further emphasizes the difference between experience and new energy in the team. Croatia will need both against Panama: the calmness of players who have already been through similar tournament situations and the intensity of those who are still building their own national-team stories.
Group L remains open, but the pressure is greater
After the first round of Group L, according to the HNS standings, England and Ghana have three points each, Panama is third without points, and Croatia is fourth due to a worse goal difference. The schedule further increases the importance of the second match: England and Ghana play each other before Croatia's encounter with Panama, and the final round on June 27 brings the matches Panama - England and Croatia - Ghana. In previous editions of the World Cup, defeat in the first round often meant entering an almost eliminatory rhythm, but the 2026 format with 48 national teams also leaves third-placed teams a more realistic path toward the knockout stage. According to FIFA's explanation of the competition system, the two best national teams from each of the 12 groups advance, as do the eight best third-placed teams. This does not reduce the importance of victory, but it changes the calculation: every point, goal and card can have consequences beyond the group itself.
For Croatia, the match against Panama is therefore doubly important. First, a victory would stabilize its position in the group and restore control ahead of the encounter with Ghana. Second, the manner of play could show whether the defeat to England was an isolated problem with set pieces or a sign of deeper vulnerability in defensive organization. Dalić said after England, according to HNS, that the team must forget what happened and turn toward Panama, but forgetting in a sporting sense does not mean ignoring mistakes. On the contrary, the match in Toronto will be the first test of whether the conclusions from training have been turned into reactions on the pitch. If Croatia manages to impose pressing, reduce the number of set pieces near its own goal and maintain attacking variety, the result from Dallas will remain a warning; if it does not, Group L could turn into a fight with very little room for another slip-up.
The base camp remained the same, the hotel name changed
One logistical detail from the Croatian national team's American base attracted attention because it happened in the middle of the tournament period. The Croatian national team did not change its accommodation in Alexandria in the state of Virginia; rather, the hotel in which it is staying changed its brand. According to an earlier HNS announcement, the Croatian national team's base was chosen in Alexandria and consists of the then Hotel AKA and the training center at Episcopal High School. In January, HNS stated that Alexandria had been the staff's first option after analyzing more than 60 possible camps, and the advantages highlighted included training and recovery conditions, proximity to Ronald Reagan Airport and the position between the cities in which Croatia plays its group matches. That decision did not change even after the hotel rebranding.
According to the local portal ALXnow and official Marriott Bonvoy information, the former Hotel AKA Alexandria has operated since June 17 as The Satire, Autograph Collection, part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. It is therefore a change of name, management and hotel brand, not a relocation of the national team. Marriott's page for The Satire lists the same address, 625 First St in Alexandria, confirming the continuity of the location that was chosen for the Croatian base camp. For the national team, such stability is important because it reduces logistical disruptions between matches in Dallas, Toronto and Philadelphia. In a tournament played across the vast area of Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, routine, recovery and predictability between trips are often precisely the elements that can decide how fresh the team will be when the match begins.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – Ivica Olić's statement on preparation for Panama, analysis of England and the state of the team (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – Zlatko Dalić's statement after the defeat to England and the announcement of turning toward Panama (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – official match report of England - Croatia 4:2 and Group L data (link)
- FIFA – report from the England - Croatia match at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – report from the Ghana - Panama match and information on Caleb Yirenkyi's goal in stoppage time (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the 2026 World Cup format with 48 national teams and qualification for the round of 32 (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – selection of Alexandria as the Croatian national team's base camp for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- ALXnow – information on the rebranding of the former Hotel AKA Alexandria into The Satire, Autograph Collection (link)
- Marriott Bonvoy – official page of The Satire, Autograph Collection hotel with the property's address (link)