The Croatia women's national football team represents Croatia in international women's football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Lavice ('Lionesses'). So far, the Lavice have not qualified for any major tournament.

History

After winning independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the newly established Croatian Football Federation immediately moved toward creating separate national football teams to represent the country, which included the establishment of the women's team. Three years after the men's team debut, the women's team of Croatia officially marked their international debut, playing against neighbouring Slovenia in a friendly on 28 October 1993, where Croatia lost 2–3 away. Since its inception, the women's team of Croatia has suffered from the lack of coverage from the increasingly successful men's side. Most of Croatia's female footballers, unlike the male ones, are made up of only amateur or part-timers, and thus they are not adequately trained. As for the result, while the men's team has been largely competitive and qualified for several UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup, the women's team is unable to repeat the same as the men's one, and has a tendency of being finished near bottom or bottom of the qualifications for UEFA Women's Championship and FIFA Women's World Cup.

Team image

Nicknames

The Croatia women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Lavice".

Rivalry

Like the men's counterparts, the Croatian women's team also maintained a rivalry with its neighbour Serbia. However, unlike the men's, the women's team of Croatia, which has long suffered from lack of investment, could not demonstrate its domination against its Serbian arch-rival.

Recent results and fixtures

2023

2024

Coaching staff

Players

Current squad

Players with at least 20 appearances -> List of Croatia women's international footballers

Recent call-ups

Competitive record

Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place Tournament played fully or partially on home soil

FIFA Women's World Cup

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 6 September 2022 after the match against.

UEFA Women's Championship

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 23 February 2021 after the match against.

UEFA Women's Nations League

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 5 December 2023 after the match against.

Individual statistics

Most capped players

Top goalscorers