Bilić is assembling his staff for a new era of Croatia, and Luka Modrić's decision could be decisive
Slaven Bilić once again finds himself at the center of Croatia's football transition. After Zlatko Dalić officially ended his tenure as head coach following the 2026 World Cup, the Croatian Football Federation began the process of selecting a new head coach, and several Croatian media outlets state that Bilić is the most likely solution. By July 11, 2026, the HNS had not announced a final decision on the appointment, but according to available information, the outlines of the future coaching staff are already being developed. In that process, the question of continuity with the Dalić era is proving especially important, as is the possible inclusion of Luka Modrić if the captain decides to end his playing career. Such an outcome would open one of the most interesting staffing questions in Croatian football: can the transfer of authority from the dressing room to the coaching staff happen immediately after the end of one major national-team chapter.
According to unofficial announcements accompanying the search for Dalić's successor, Vedran Ćorluka and Danijel Subašić should not remain in the national-team staff if Bilić takes over the bench. Their departure is interpreted as part of a natural separation from the team of experts that worked alongside Dalić for years and with which Croatia achieved the greatest results in its national-team history. Publicly available reports had earlier confirmed that Ćorluka and Subašić were part of Dalić's professional environment, with Subašić joining the work with the goalkeepers, while Ćorluka had the role of assistant. If the announced departure of both is confirmed, the new head coach will not only take over the team, but will also have to build a new internal system of work, communication and authority. That is precisely why the choice of assistants will not be a technical issue, but one of the first messages about the direction in which the national team could go.
Dalić's departure opened space for the HNS's most important decision since 2017
The Croatian Football Federation announced on July 8, 2026, that Zlatko Dalić, at a meeting at the Federation's headquarters, informed president Marijan Kustić that he was concluding his journey on the national-team bench with the 2026 World Cup. According to the HNS announcement, Dalić ended his mandate as the most successful and longest-serving head coach in the history of the Croatian national team, with silver at the 2018 World Cup, bronze at the 2022 World Cup and a silver medal in UEFA's Nations League in 2023. The same source states that he also secured appearances at the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, as well as qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, his departure is not an ordinary change on the bench, but the end of a period in which Croatia, with a smaller player base than the greatest football powers, remained constantly present at the top of international football.
Dalić's last match was a 2:1 defeat to Portugal in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in Toronto. FIFA stated in its match report that Ivan Perišić put Croatia in the lead, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonçalo Ramos turned the result around for Portugal. The HNS official scoreboard also records that defeat as the final competitive moment of Dalić's mandate. In his farewell message, published through the HNS, Dalić emphasized that he had reconsidered the decision after the support he received, but that he believes the moment has come for the end of an era. That formulation is important because it shows that the departure was not presented as a cut after one result, but as a conscious closing of a long cycle.
For the Federation, the key question now is how to choose a successor who can preserve the national-team identity while also launching a renewal after an emotionally and result-wise exceptionally dense period. According to reports by tportal and Večernji list, the selection process should include the HNS Expert Commission, and the proposal then goes to the Executive Board. The same reports state that Bilić should be proposed as the main candidate and that the contract, if confirmed, could cover the cycle up to the 2028 European Championship. By July 11, the HNS had not officially confirmed such details, so they should be treated as a scenario announced by the media but not yet formalized. However, even the strength of those announcements shows that the Federation is not moving toward a complete experiment, but toward a man who knows the national-team system very well.
Bilić's return would be a precedent in the Croatian national team
Slaven Bilić already led the Croatian national team from 2006 to 2012, and according to data cited by Croatian media, his first mandate included 65 matches, qualifications for Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, and failure in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. His first head-coaching era remained remembered for the promotion of a generation that included Luka Modrić, Vedran Ćorluka and Eduardo, but also for a recognizable attacking approach that brought two victories over England in the qualifiers for Euro 2008. If he is now confirmed, Bilić would become the first man to lead the Croatian national team in two separate mandates. That would be symbolically powerful because a coach who participated in forming part of the generation on which Dalić later built the greatest results would return to the bench.
The return of a former head coach is never just a matter of biography. In such situations, the question always arises of whether the coach is able to bring enough that is new while at the same time using the experience from the first mandate. After leaving the national-team bench, Bilić worked in Russia, Turkey, England, China and Saudi Arabia, but national-team football has a different dynamic: training time is short, while selection and communication are often just as important as tactical preparation. That is why the composition of his staff will be especially important, because assistants, analysts and goalkeeper coaches carry a large part of the operational burden.
In that context, announcements that Ćorluka and Subašić will not remain with the new bench further increase the importance of Bilić's first decisions. Ćorluka was for years regarded as one of the links between the coaching staff and the dressing room, while Subašić joined the staff as a former national-team goalkeeper with experience of the highest pressure at world tournaments. With their departure, Bilić would lose part of the continuity with Dalić's system, but would gain space to form a staff according to his own criteria. That can be an advantage if he wants to clearly mark a new phase, but it can also be a risk if the changes are too fast in a team accustomed to a stable hierarchy. For a national team that, according to the HNS calendar, is due to begin the Nations League against the Czech Republic in September 2026, the time for adjustment will not be unlimited.
Modrić as a possible staff member: an idea that depends on a playing decision
The biggest name in the possible staffing combinations remains Luka Modrić. According to available information, Bilić would gladly see him in the future professional team if the captain decides to end his playing career. Such a move would carry strong symbolic and practical weight. Modrić is one of the most important players in the history of the Croatian national team, a man who, as captain, marked the period of World Cup silver, World Cup bronze and the Nations League final. His presence in the staff could help transfer standards to younger players, but also preserve dressing-room continuity at a moment when Dalić and part of his closest associates are leaving.
The problem, however, is that by July 11, 2026, Modrić had not publicly confirmed a final decision on the continuation of his career. AC Milan stated in an official announcement from July 2025 that Modrić had signed a contract until June 30, 2026, with an option to extend until June 30, 2027. In recent weeks, foreign media have made various claims about his options, from possible retirement after the World Cup to continuing to play at Milan, but no final decision has been confirmed through the official channels of the player or the club. Because of that, every story about Modrić as Bilić's associate is conditional. He may be the ideal solution for a national-team bridge between generations, but only if he himself decides that he has finished his playing chapter.
The role that Modrić could have would also have to be carefully defined. Great players do not automatically become successful coaches, and entering the staff immediately after a playing career requires a clear division of responsibilities. Modrić, if he accepts such a role, could contribute the most to work with midfielders, the transfer of professional standards and the everyday understanding of the national team's mentality. At the same time, Bilić would have to ensure that his authority as head coach remains clearly established, because Modrić's reputation would naturally attract enormous public and media attention. That is precisely why a possible agreement between two people who know each other well could be crucial: Bilić coached Modrić in his early national-team phase, while Modrić later became the symbol of the most successful era of Croatian football.
The staff as a message about style and hierarchy
The coaching staff in national-team football is not just a list of associates, but an extension of the head coach's idea. If Bilić takes over Croatia, he will be expected to show very quickly what model of play he wants to develop after Dalić. During Dalić's mandate, the national team often built its play around a technically strong midfield, the experience of senior figures and the ability to turn emotional stability into a result in big matches. But after the 2026 World Cup, the question arises of how much that model will have to change, especially if Modrić, Perišić and other older players gradually conclude their national-team or playing careers. The new staff will therefore have to balance respect for the legacy with the development of different solutions.
Bilić's choice of associates could reveal whether the emphasis will be on former internationals, coaches with clear club experience or a combination of both profiles. Former players can bring dressing-room authority and an understanding of the national-team identity, but the coaching staff must also have tactical, analytical, conditioning and medical depth. Modern international football increasingly relies on preparation of details: opponent analysis, set pieces, player workload and quick adaptation after short gatherings. If Ćorluka and Subašić really leave with Dalić, Bilić will have to find people who can immediately take over those functions.
In all of this, Modrić would be a special case. He would not be just another assistant, but a figure around whom the public would read the broader direction of the national team. His inclusion could be interpreted as a continuation of the winning culture from the Dalić era, but also as preparation for a longer-term coaching future. On the other hand, if he decides to continue playing, Bilić will have to find other solutions and clearly show that the new project does not depend on one person, however important that person may be. That is the fundamental dilemma of every transition after a great generation: a legend can help the transition, but the system must be strong enough even without him.
Euro 2028 as the first major goal
If Bilić is confirmed, his first major competitive horizon will be the 2028 European Championship. UEFA has announced that the qualifying group for Euro 2028 will begin in March 2027 and end in November of the same year, while additional play-off matches are scheduled for March 2028. This means that the new head coach will not have a long preparation phase before the matches that decide qualification for a major tournament. The Nations League in autumn 2026 could therefore serve as the first test of new relationships, tactical solutions and internal hierarchy. It will be precisely in that period that it will become visible how successfully the transfer from Dalić's system to the new model has been carried out.
Croatia is not starting from empty space in this respect. In his farewell message, Dalić emphasized that, alongside older players, younger footballers who are already taking on important roles were also being included in the national team. That is one of the key points for Bilić: the team must preserve competitiveness, but at the same time broaden the base of players who can carry high-intensity matches. The success of the new staff will therefore be measured not only by results, but also by the ability to clearly define the next line of leaders. In national teams with a strong tradition, major transitions are often the most sensitive precisely because they do not happen all at once; they are built through several gatherings, several difficult decisions and several matches in which it becomes clear who is taking responsibility.
Bilić's possible return is additionally interesting because his first mandate began precisely with a brave reliance on young players who later became the backbone of Croatian football. If history partly repeats itself, he will not be asked for a copy of the old model, but for the ability to recognize a new group of players and build a functional plan around it. In that, he will need a staff that understands both public pressure and international trends. Dalić left a high results bar, but also a very specific culture of unity; the new head coach will have to decide what to keep from that culture and what to adapt to the time that is coming.
Decisions that must not be reduced only to big names
Announcements about Modrić, Ćorluka and Subašić attract the most attention because they are names strongly connected to the successes of the national team. Still, the decision on the coaching staff cannot be reduced only to an emotional connection with past results. In a professional sense, Bilić must assemble a team that can work quickly, clearly and without internal ambiguities. In a national team, every day of a gathering is important, and every misunderstanding about roles can quickly turn into a problem. That is why in the coming days and weeks, regardless of the formal moment of confirmation of the head coach, not only who enters the staff will be closely watched, but also what task they will receive.
For the HNS, it is important that the appointment process remains clear and convincing. Dalić's departure was officially presented as a dignified end to the most successful era, so the selection of a successor should also be carried out without unnecessary confusion. If Bilić truly is the first candidate, confirmation should open space for work as soon as possible, not for a prolonged period of speculation. At this moment, the most likely scenario remains Bilić's return and the creation of a new staff without some of the people who marked Dalić's mandate. Modrić's decision on continuing to play could determine whether that staff receives the strongest possible symbol of continuity or whether Bilić will have to build a different form of authority.
Until official confirmations are published, all staffing combinations should be viewed as open. But one thing is already clear: after July 11, 2026, the Croatian national team is no longer facing an ordinary change of head coach, but a restructuring of the entire system that must prove it can survive the end of its most successful era.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – official announcement on the departure of Zlatko Dalić, his message and the results achieved during his mandate (link)
- FIFA – report from the Portugal – Croatia match at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- tportal – report on the process of choosing the new head coach and Bilić as the most likely candidate (link)
- Večernji list – data on Bilić's first mandate and the procedure for confirming the new head coach (link)
- HRT – earlier announcement on Danijel Subašić joining Dalić's coaching staff (link)
- AC Milan – official announcement on Luka Modrić's contract with the club until June 30, 2026, with an option to extend (link)
- UEFA – official information on the format and schedule of the qualifiers for the 2028 European Championship (link)