Croatia

After the nail biting performance of the national teams during the international tournament earlier this year, the run up to release of the Euro 2020 schedules were greatly anticipated by fans worldwide. Therefore as earlier this week the fixtures and groupings for the UEFA European Championships Qualifiers 2020 were announced, we thought we would put this article together for our readers. This blog therefore covers how the groups have been drawn and who are expected to be the ones to beat.

What the Euro 2020 Qualifying Groups Look Like

In advance of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, the qualifiers are to take place in order to determine which 24 teams advance to the Championship. The qualifying tournament runs in addition to the brand new 2018/19 UEFA Nations Cup, which offers an alternative route to qualification for the 2020 tournament. Here is the breakdown of each country that is eligible for a place in the upcoming games and who they are playing against in their groups:

At the moment the national teams are currently battling it out on the football pitch to win the new Nations League trophy. And with the extra bonus of four places in the Euro tournament in two years’ time up for grabs, the anticipation to succeed in Nations League is high.

As this is a very new tournament we wanted to put this post together to cover all of the need to know information about the ongoing games. From how the season is scheduled to who are the strongest teams so far, read below to find out all the latest info.

What is the Nation’s League?

The Nations League was first set-up in 2018 as an alternative way for national teams to acquire a place in the Euros, and replaced the current friendly matches for competition matches. This series of matches will take place every two years on the run-up to the next European league tournament.

How the Nations League works is that all 55 national teams will be split into 4 leagues depending on their skill levels

With the World Cup in Russia fast approaching, there are lots of talk amongst supporters about who the stronger teams are this year. From previous winners to new comers, it is truly anyone’s game. Within the post we will try to establish who the main competitors are this season for the trophy as well as addressing who the underdogs could potentially be. 

Previous Winners

Established in 1930 the first ever World Cup took place in Uruguay and has since been hosted in a variety of countries across the globe. In history 5 countries have lifted the cup more than once, with the most wins being Brazil with 5 tournament victories. Below we will look at the break down of the winners in history:

• Brazil – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
• Italy – 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
• Germany – 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
• Uruguay – 1930, 1950
• Argentina – 1978, 1986
• England – 1966
• France – 1998
• Spain

Between the summer of 1991 and February 1992, there was no domestic league football in Croatia. The country’s War of Independence was underway, and the focus shifted from enjoying sport to mere survival. This war would end in 1995, and one year later the national football team of an independent Croatia made it to their first-ever major finals. They competed at Euro 96 in England, eventually losing in the quarter-finals to Germany, who went on to win the competition.

Euro 96 was a successful international tournament debut for Croatia, and they followed it up with qualification for the 1998 World Cup, which was held in France. There they would surprise some of the finest teams in the world as they played their way through Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Lyon, going deep into the knockout stages in the process. They would also stun those tuning in with one of the most aesthetically pleasing kits seen in the game.

History of the Croatia 1998 World Cup Kit

The qualifying group stage competition for the 2016 European Championship may have wrapped up on Tuesday, October 13^th, but the battle isn't over just yet. Sure, 20 of the 24 teams that will make up the UEFA's big tournament next summer have already been decided. The remaining four slots, meanwhile, will be decided in a playoff between the third-placed football squads from each of the qualifying groups. That contest is set to begin on November 12^th.

The Competing Teams

The question is, which four countries will be filling those last four slots? The third-placed teams from the Euro 2016 qualifiers include Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovakia. Turkey have already qualified for the 2016 European Championship, on the basis of being the third-place team with the best record in the qualifiers. The other eight teams, meanwhile, will battle

From Italy's undefeated performance to Croatia's last-minute leap into the second place slot, Group H was one of the more exciting chapters of the 2016 European Championship qualifying competition. Italy and Croatia qualify for Euro 2016 and will be headed to France next spring to compete in the prestigious UEFA tournament. Third-placers Norway, meanwhile, will look to win their seat in Euro 2016 with a strong playoff performance. Other group members-Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, and Malta-are headed home after failing to qualify.

Italy's Surprise Success Streak

To understand Italy's success story in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, we need to look back at last summer's 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Though that tournament ended with Germany's national soccer team winning their fourth WC title, surprises and upsets still abounded throughout. Three of the biggest and most respected football teams on the planet-Spain, Italy, and England-all

Of all the UEFA groups lined up for the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, the last of them-Group I-might be the most wide open. World Cup 2018 UEFA qualifying group I, which consists of five teams instead of the usual six-including Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, and Finland-lacks the heavyweight teams and former champions that populate the other groups. Big and recently successful teams like Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium are scattered throughout the other seven groups. Even the groups that don't have such big-name football nations, meanwhile, feature teams like Wales (Group D) and Romania (E) that are currently ranked in FIFA's global top 10.

Group I is the exception to that rule, featuring neither a recent World Cup champion, nor a top-ranked FIFA team. The group's likely frontrunner-the Croatia national football team-is slated in 13^th on FIFA's rankings. Three others make the top 50 (Iceland at 24, Ukraine at 30, and Turkey at 45), while

What a difference a few games can make. Prior to the first weekend of September, Euro 2016 qualifying Group H was a clear battle between Croatia and Italy. The former had won four of their qualifying games and drawn the other two, for a leading point total of 14. The Italian national football team, meanwhile, had split their success between three wins and three draws, for a tally of 12 points. Norway, finally, were a distant third, with three wins, one draw, and two losses combining for seven points in the standings.

A Competitive Group

After games were played on both September 3^rd and September 6^th, though, the landscape looks quite different in Group H. Two wins apiece for both Italy and Norway pushed the soccer teams to the one and two slots on the group standings table. Croatia, meanwhile, picked up a draw and a loss to tumble to third place.

At this point, it probably wouldn't be a stretch

Qualifying play for the 2016 UEFA European Championship won't continue until early September, leaving the 53 international teams vying for qualification in a weird sort of limbo as they await the next game. In the meantime, we've been going through and taking a look at the various groups in this year's Qualifying Competition, looking at everything from wins to goal difference in an attempt to determine which soccer squads will be contending at next year's Euro tournament in France. Today, Euro 2016 qualifying Group H is up.

The Teams

Group H, like most of the other groups that make up the Euro 2016 Qualifying Competition, is comprised of six different national football teams. These include-in the order of current standings-Croatia, Italy, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, and Malta.

Before the qualifiers even began, Italy and Croatia were flagged as the teams from Group H most likely to progress to the actual Euro 2016

If Saturday's home game against Norway was any indication, the Croatia national football team is one of the shoo-ins for a spot in next year's UEFA European Championship in France. During their first Euro qualifying game of 2015, the Croatian side crushed Norway's team 5-1. It was a resounding victory and a thrilling moment of euphoria for home football fans, and it gets the Blazers off to a perfect start for the New Year. Celebrate the triumphant occurrence with a brand new 2014 2015 Croatia soccer shirt, available at Soccer Box!

If you love discounts and adore Croatian football, then Soccer Box is the perfect place to shop. Virtually all of our official Blazers apparel is currently on sale! Grab a red-and-white-checkered Croatia home jersey 2014 2015 for 25% off, or get the same discount on