The defending runner-up will face the bronze medal opponent after both sides were defeated by Argentina and France.
On Saturday, Croatia meets Morocco at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Al Rayyan, for the third-place clash of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The current runners-up aim to secure bronze, matching their best World Cup finish since France in 1998, and to cap Luka Modric’s World Cup legacy with a storied performance. A 3-0 loss to Argentina, with Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez steering the Albiceleste to the final, set the backdrop for Croatia’s mission. Morocco, meanwhile, could not stop France in the semi-finals at Al Bayt and now pursues a podium finish that would mark the furthest progress by an African nation in World Cup history, building on Belgium’s bronze from 2018 in Saint Petersburg.
These two nations previously faced each other in the opening match, ending in a goalless draw in Jor, the first official World Cup meeting. Their only prior encounter in senior men’s play occurred at the Hassan II Trophy in December 1996 in Casablanca, with a 2-2 result and Croatia prevailing 7-6 on penalties in the following shootout.
Past notes and context:
- This marks a second encounter for Croatia and Morocco in this World Cup after a 0-0 stalemate on the tournament’s opening day. Croatia produced just five shots, the fewest in a World Cup match so far.
- Croatia has kept clean sheets in their last three World Cup matches against African sides, defeating Cameroon 4-0 in 2014, beating Nigeria 2-0 in 2018, and drawing 0-0 with Morocco earlier in this edition.
- Historically, none of the 19 third-place matches in World Cup history has gone to penalties, and only one has required extra time (France–Belgium in 1986). A European nation has won this prize in the last 10 editions, dating back to Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Italy in 1978.
- Croatia has previously used a tiebreaker to finish third, beating the Netherlands 2-1 in 1998.
- Whichever nation finishes higher, Morocco’s appearance in this match stands as the furthest an African team has reached at a World Cup.
- Croatia conceded three goals in their semi-final defeat to Argentina, a tally equal to their combined goals conceded in the previous five games of the 2022 tournament. The team also led the field in total shots and offensive pressure in this event.
- Morocco surrendered two goals to France in the semi-final, a tally that still leaves room to become one of the few teams to post five clean sheets in a single World Cup tournament—an honor shared with nations like the Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, France, Germany, and Spain in various years.
- Luka Modrić, aged 37, has appeared in all six of Croatia’s World Cup games this edition. Only goalkeepers Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff have played more in a single World Cup at his age, with seven appearances in their respective campaigns.
- Ivan Perišić has scored six World Cup goals for Croatia and could pull level with Davor Šuker as the nation’s all-time leading marksman with one more hit.
- Azzedine Ounahi of Morocco has stood out defensively in Qatar, successfully making 77% of his tackles against opponents (10 of 13), the best rate among players with at least 10 attempts.
WHEN IS IT?
HOW TO WATCH ON TV
The match will be shown in Argentina and Colombia on DirectTV Sports. In Mexico, viewers can access aerial sports channels, TUDN, Azteca 7 and Channel of the Stars. In the United States, Spanish-language coverage is on Telemundo, with English-language broadcast on FOX. In Chile, DirectTV Sports, Channel 13 and Chilevisión will carry the game. In Spain, the game is available on 1 television.
HOW TO WATCH VIA STREAMING
The Croatia versus Morocco broadcast will be available for streaming in several regions. In South America, DirectTV Go offers streaming, while Mexico has access through Blue to Go. In Spain, Movistar+ will carry the match. In the United States, the game will be accessible on the Fox Sports app and the Telemundo app.
DirectTV Go provides online access to movies, series, live sports and more. DirectTV Play brings all content together in a single platform.
To use it, customers must have a My DIRECTV account. Then download the DirectTV Go app on Android or iOS or open it on a computer, and that’s it.
FORMATION AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Source: Goal