Slaven Bilic is Croatia's head coach again. The Croatian Football Federation confirmed the appointment on Monday, nine days after Zlatko Dalic stepped down following a round of 32 exit at the 2026 World Cup — knocked out by Portugal.
Bilic, 57, is no stranger to this job. He previously managed Croatia's Under-21s before taking charge of the senior side, overseeing 65 matches across six years. Now he returns with more miles on the clock: stints at West Ham, West Brom, Watford, and most recently Saudi Pro League side Al Fateh, where he left in 2024 after a single season.
What Bilic is walking into
Dalic was Croatia's most successful coach by any reasonable measure — nine years, a World Cup final in 2018, a third-place finish in 2022. The generation he managed, built around Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, is now either retired or well past its peak. Bilic isn't inheriting a golden squad. He's inheriting a transition.
That matters for how Croatia's qualifying campaign shapes up. Euro 2028 qualification is the immediate task, with the 2030 World Cup cycle to follow. If this squad is in rebuild mode, expect a bumpier road than Croatia fans have been used to — and the odds on them topping a qualifying group should reflect that uncertainty.
Bilic knows it too. "I am genuinely happy to begin this challenge and feel fully prepared for it — as a more mature and experienced coach than in 2006, but with the same motivation and desire to see Croatia remain powerful, bold and successful," he said in his opening statement. Fine words. The qualification draw will be the first real test of whether the structure around him matches the ambition.
A player turned coach, full circle
As a player, Bilic won 44 caps for Croatia and was part of the side that finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France — still the country's best-ever tournament result. He started coaching at Hajduk Split in 2001, a year after retiring there as a player. The roots run deep.
Whether that connection to Croatian football's identity translates into results is another question entirely. His record in England was mixed: excellent at West Ham early on, forgettable at West Brom, and he lasted just five months at Watford before the sack. Al Fateh was a one-and-done. He arrives with credibility but without recent momentum.
"I have complete confidence in our players and it is my responsibility to bring energy, ambition and determination to ensure Croatia remains among football's elite," he added. Croatia will find out soon enough if the energy outlasts the honeymoon period.
