Croatia v Spain, Poljud 6 Oct 2026: tickets from 18 Sept, prices, app rule

The Croatian football federation HNS published the ticketing rules on 9 September 2026. Croatia play four Nations League matches in eleven days this autumn: away in Prague against Czechia on Saturday 26 September (no Croatian supporters' sector, a UEFA sanction), away to Spain in Seville on Tuesday 29 September at 20:45, and then Spain again at home, at Stadion Poljud in Split, on Tuesday 6 October at 20:45. Spain come to Split as the reigning world champions, which is why the match is the one people are asking about.

Tickets: dates and prices

• Sale starts on Friday 18 September 2026 at 13:00 on the HNS ticket portal (ulaznice.hns.family) and at 15:00 at six Petrol petrol stations: Split, Zagorski put 29; Split, Dujmovača, Solinska 35; Dugopolje sjever, Put bana 15; Kaštel Novi, Cesta pape Ivana Pavla II. 366; and two in Šibenik.
• Members of the HNS loyalty programme with at least 8 points get a head start from Thursday 17 September at 12:00.
• Every ticket is delivered only in the HNS mobile app; print-at-home no longer exists. Buyers get an e-mail a few days before the match telling them when the tickets appear in the app.
• The buyer must be a Croatian citizen, wherever he or she lives, and can buy at most four tickets. The other three people need not be Croatian citizens, but the buyer enters their personal data and an e-mail address for each, to which that person's app ticket is tied.
• Someone without a smartphone can enter with a companion who holds both tickets in one app. Fans with disabilities apply through a separate HNS portal.

What this means if you are visiting from abroad

You cannot buy a ticket yourself unless you hold a Croatian passport or ID card. The way in is a Croatian friend, host or colleague who buys up to four tickets and enters you as one of the other people; your ticket then arrives in the HNS app on your own phone under your own e-mail address. Tickets are personalised and checked at the gate, so buying from a reseller is a gamble. Spanish supporters get their allocation through the Spanish federation RFEF. For the away match in Seville the same citizenship rule applies and the sale ran only from 10 to 14 September.

Poljud and how to get there

Stadion Poljud, home of Hajduk, opened in 1979 for the Mediterranean Games and holds around 34,000 under its shell-shaped roof. It stands in the Poljud district on the northern shore of the Split peninsula, about two kilometres from the Riva: from the Diocletian's Palace it is a 25 to 30 minute walk along Zrinsko-Frankopanska street, and the city buses of Promet Split stop next to it. Parking near the stadium fills up long before kick-off and the streets around it are closed to cars on match evenings, so walk or take the bus. Kick-off is 20:45, the final whistle around 22:40.

The match is on a Tuesday evening in the off-season. From 28 September the ferries run their winter timetables, and the last boats to Brač, Hvar and Šolta leave well before the final whistle, so plan to sleep in Split. Early October is still a good time in the city: an average daytime high of 21 degrees, the sea at about 22, and on the Saturday before the match the Mrdujska regata fills the channel between Split and Brač with sails.

Getting to Split for the match

Split airport lies by Kaštela, about 25 km west of the centre. In early October most direct flights from the UK still run, on a thinner timetable than in summer, and from the US, Canada and Australia you connect through a European hub, usually Zagreb, Frankfurt, Munich or Vienna. The airport shuttle bus takes about 30 minutes to the main bus station, which stands next to the ferry port, 10 minutes on foot from the Riva. City bus 37 between Split and Trogir also stops at the airport, slower and cheaper. Coaches from Zagreb, Zadar and Dubrovnik use the same station by the port. If you drive the A1 from Zagreb, count on about 4 hours and check the road report before you set off, because the bura can close the exposed stretches of the motorway in autumn.

Where to stay for a Tuesday match

The match falls outside the peak, so apartments inside Diocletian's Palace that sell out from May have space again and cost less than in summer. Inside the walls you are 2 minutes from the Riva, where the city gathers before and after the game, and 25 to 30 minutes on foot from Poljud. Varoš, the old fishermen's quarter below Marjan, lies 5 to 10 minutes west of the palace, quiet after 22:00 and on the direct walking line to the stadium. The streets of Poljud and Spinut around the ground are residential with a handful of apartments, 5 minutes from the gate but with little open after the final whistle. For an early coach or flight on the Wednesday, the streets between the bus station and Bačvice are the practical choice.

Match day before kick-off

With a 20:45 kick-off you have a full day in the city. Start at the Pazar, the green market along the eastern wall of the palace, busiest between 07:00 and 11:00, and at the fish market by Marmontova, where the morning catch lies on the marble counters before 09:00. The sea is still warm enough for a swim in early October, and at Bačvice, 10 minutes east of the ferry port, there is a picigin game in the shallows every day of the year. For a view, the broad steps from Varoš up to the Vidilica terrace on Marjan take 10 to 15 minutes. The sun sets before 19:00 in early October, so plan an early dinner on the Riva or in Varoš and set off for the stadium by 19:30.

At the turnstiles and inside

Your ticket is a code in the HNS app tied to your name, so carry the passport or ID card whose details the buyer entered for you, and charge the phone: there is nothing to print. The gate and sector letters are on the ticket, and Poljud's stands are lettered around the ring, so read them before you reach the ground. The north stand is the loud end, home of Hajduk's Torcida at club games and the noisiest part of the Croatian support at national team matches. The 65 euro sectors, D and E on the west side and P and R on the east, sit level with the halfway line. Croatian law bans the sale of alcohol inside stadiums, so the last drink is in the bars on the way.

• Passport or ID card in the same name as the ticket: tickets are personalised and checked at the gate.
• Phone charged and the HNS app logged in with the e-mail address the buyer gave for you.
• A jacket: the evening cools quickly by the sea once the sun is down, even after a warm day.
• Leave large bags, glass and anything that looks like a flare at your accommodation, security refuses them.
• Small change or a card for the kiosks around the ground, the food inside is basic.
• Arrive early: the streets around Poljud close to cars and the turnstile queues build in the last hour.

The day after the match

Wednesday 7 October is a working day, the ferries are on their winter timetable and the day trips are quieter than in September. Trogir, 27 km west, is about 1 hour on bus 37 from the Sukoišan stop, an entire old town on a small island. Salona in Solin, the Roman capital of Dalmatia and Diocletian's birthplace, is a short city bus ride from the centre, a large open site with an amphitheatre, and Klis fortress above it looks over the whole bay from the pass between Mosor and Kozjak. Krka's waterfalls are 45 km north, an easy half day by car. For an island, Brač is the simplest: the Supetar ferry keeps several sailings a day through the winter, enough for a day trip, while Hvar and Šolta need checking against the reduced timetable.