Josko Gvardiol says he expects the World Cup jokes to start at Manchester City as Croatia put together to face England within the group stage subsequent summer season.
Croatia will open their 2026 World Cup marketing campaign in opposition to Thomas Tuchel’s facet in Dallas on June 17, a match that might see Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic come up in opposition to a number of Metropolis teammates together with Phil Foden, John Stones and Nico O’Reilly.
Gvardiol has not but begun the thoughts video games however expects the build-up to vary because the match approaches.
Croatia vs England: Gvardiol ‘pleased’
“Not but – possibly a month earlier than it begins,” Gvardiol stated of the potential humour. “I’m pleased that I’m going to see them. Hopefully all of them shall be within the workforce.”
He added that he had already spoken to former England worldwide Kalvin Phillips concerning the sport.
“I bear in mind my first Euros, his first Euros, we performed in opposition to one another within the first sport [at Euro 2020],” he added. “Kalvin was there, John, Phil, Kyle [Walker, for England]. I used to be taking part in as a full-back, so I used to be on Kyle’s facet [of the pitch].
The fixture provides one other chapter to a rising rivalry. Croatia beat England within the 2018 World Cup semi-finals earlier than England claimed victory within the sides’ opening sport of the 2020 version, which was held in 2021.
Raheem Sterling, who ended his seven-year keep at Metropolis a 12 months earlier than Gvardiol arrived in 2022, scored the one purpose in that match at Wembley Stadium.
World Cup 2026 ‘large’ for Croatia
“It’s an enormous factor to be on the World Cup,” Gvardiol stated. “When it begins, all we attempt to do is go sport by sport and attempt to win as many factors as potential and qualify for the subsequent spherical.”
Regardless of a inhabitants of below 4 million, Croatia have reached the semi-finals of the final two World Cups, ending runners-up in 2018 and dropping to eventual champions Argentina in 2022.
“We have to keep on the bottom,” Gvardiol stated. “We’re a small nation and we go sport by sport. That’s it.
“Even with the leads to Russia [in 2018] and Qatar [2022], we weren’t anticipating it. Optimistically and the vitality we put into the video games, something is feasible.”
