Croatia 0-7 England: record defeat in an empty Rijeka

Result: Croatia 0-7 England

England won 7-0 at the Rujevica on Saturday evening, four of the goals in the first half. Croatian media call it the heaviest defeat in the national team's history (Telegram). The stands were almost empty because of the UEFA sanction: only children under 14 from schools and football academies, invited under a UEFA exception (the Croatian federation expected about 6,000), about 100 England fans and officials.

• 8' Harry Kane 0-1
• 21' Jude Bellingham 0-2
• 39' Anthony Gordon 0-3
• 45' Bukayo Saka 0-4
• 53' Harry Kane 0-5
• 68' Bukayo Saka 0-6
• 87' Morgan Rogers 0-7 (Vavel)

Croatia coach Slaven Bilić took the blame: "It is clear that the responsibility is mine." He called it the most painful defeat, unexpected after good training sessions, and a lesson for life. Forward Franjo Ivanović spoke of a catastrophic match: "We didn't go into the duels at all" (Novi list).

Update, Monday 5 October 2026, 13:27: The weekend belonged to the fallout. Captain Luka Modrić said that after this match he felt ashamed for the first time in his 20 years with the national team, and asked the players not to blame each other (HNS). On Sunday morning Slaven Bilić called the defeat indefensible, mentioned a virus in the squad without offering it as an excuse, and named a better impression as the minimum against Spain (HNS). HNS president Marijan Kustić told the players in the dressing room that their attitude had been unacceptable, then gave them and Bilić his full backing, Nova TV reported (gol.hr). Next up are the world champions, in Split on Tuesday at 20:45: Croatia v Spain: kick-off, TV, traffic, tickets.

Three days later Croatia lost 1-2 to Spain at a full Poljud in Split, after leading at half-time: Croatia 1-2 Spain.

Croatia play England on Saturday 3 October 2026 at 18:00 Central European Summer Time, 17:00 in the UK, at Stadion HNK Rijeka, the ground everyone in the city calls Rujevica, and the stands will be almost empty. UEFA ordered Croatia's first home match of this Nations League to be played behind closed doors as punishment for racist and discriminatory behaviour by Croatian supporters at both legs of the 2025 quarter-final against France. There is no ticket sale of any kind. The only fans inside will be 100 members of the England Supporters Travel Club, admitted after talks between the FA and UEFA, and any groups of children up to 14 from schools and football academies that the Croatian federation invites. In Croatia the match is on Nova TV, in the UK on ITV1. This guide explains the decision, who else is in the ground, where to watch in each country, what to do if you travel anyway, and the Spain match in Split three days later, which did have a public sale but is now sold out.

Croatia v England at a glance

Why the match is behind closed doors

On 16 May 2025 the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) published UEFA's disciplinary decision on the Nations League quarter-final against France. After the first leg in Split on 20 March 2025, HNS was fined for pyrotechnics, laser pointers and blocked passageways, and UEFA opened proceedings for racism and discrimination after that match and after the return leg in Paris three days later. The single verdict on racism carried the real weight: the next home match behind closed doors, a ban on selling tickets to Croatian fans for the next away match and another 30,000 euro fine, which took the total to 93,000 euro. Both bans apply only to matches in UEFA competitions, so they had to wait for this edition of the Nations League, eighteen months later.

Croatia's first two games of the new edition are away, in Prague on 26 September, without a Croatian away section, and in Seville on 29 September, so the closure falls on the first home game. UEFA's own list of sanctions affecting supporter attendance names it: Croatia v England, 3 October 2026. HNS had already picked Rijeka for this fixture in February and Poljud in Split for Spain. It is the second time the two teams meet in an empty Rujevica: on 12 October 2018 they drew 0-0 there behind closed doors, under an earlier UEFA sanction linked to a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy in 2015, and the FA recorded it as England's first ever match without spectators.

Who may still enter

UEFA's Disciplinary Regulations list exactly who may attend a match behind closed doors. After talks with UEFA, the FA was allowed a small group of supporters: 100 free tickets for active 2026-28 members of the England Supporters Travel Club, with a £30 holding deposit refunded to everyone who attends. Registration closed at noon on Friday 18 September and places went by all-time caps, the club's count of matches attended, not by ballot: 1,543 members applied and the lowest successful total was 314 caps. The game does not count towards members' caps. On the Croatian side the rules allow children up to 14 from schools and football academies, invited free of charge and accompanied by adults. Invitations go through schools and clubs, so there is nothing for families to apply for, and HNS had not published any numbers by 28 September.

• 100 England Supporters Travel Club members selected by the FA.
• Children up to 14 from schools and football academies, if HNS invites them, with the adults accompanying them.
• Up to 55 people in each team delegation, including the players, and up to 20 VIP guests per federation.
• Accredited broadcast crews, journalists and photographers, police and security staff, stadium workers and ball kids.
• Up to 75 UEFA representatives and guests of UEFA and its partners with complimentary tickets.
• Nobody else: every ticket offered online for this match is fake.

Kick-off time and where to watch

Croatia, Germany, Austria, Italy and Poland share a clock, so kick-off is 18:00 in all five; in Britain it is 17:00 and on the US East Coast 12:00. In Croatia the Nations League belongs to Nova TV this time: UEFA's list of broadcast partners names only Nova TV's gol.hr platform for the country, so look for the match there rather than on HRT. ITV holds England's Nations League games, and its guide has the programme on ITV1 from 16:15 UK time. DAZN shows every Nations League match in Germany and Austria except those of the home national team, so this one needs a subscription. In Italy Sky's guide lists the match on Sky Sport Uno, streaming on NOW; it is not one of the four games Mediaset shows free to air. In Poland Polsat Sport 1 goes on air at 17:50. For other countries, UEFA publishes the full list of its broadcasters.

If you travel to Rijeka anyway

Going to Rujevica itself makes no sense on Saturday: without accreditation or one of the invitations above, nobody gets through the gates. Neither HNS nor the City of Rijeka had announced a fan zone or a public screening for this match by 28 September, so the realistic plan is a bar or café in the centre with Nova TV on, along the Korzo or around the market. If you hoped to catch HNK Rijeka instead, the Croatian league pauses for the international break: the club's next match is away on Sunday 11 October, and its next home game at Rujevica is on 31 October. The weekend still works in Rijeka. The Korzo, the market halls and the Trsat stairs up to the castle are all within walking distance of each other, and the guides linked at the end of this page cover them.

• Any website or reseller offering tickets for this match is selling nothing, and HNS has warned about fake sites that imitate its ticket portal.
• From the UK, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave; at the border you may have to register fingerprints and a photo in the EU's Entry/Exit System.
• Croatian towns fine people on the spot for drinking alcohol in public spaces and for walking around shirtless or in swimwear, so keep the beer inside the bar.
• Rijeka's airport is on the island of Krk, about 30 km from the city, and Zagreb is about 2 hours away on the motorway.

Croatia v Spain, three days later in Split

The match with a crowd is Croatia v Spain on Tuesday 6 October at 20:45 at Poljud in Split, matchday 4 of the same group, against the reigning world champions. HNS opened sales on 18 September, online and at six Petrol stations, at 30 euro behind the goals and 55 or 65 euro along the sides. By 28 September its ticket portal showed every ticket sold or awaiting payment and said tickets can reappear there if buyers cancel or do not pay in time, so checking the portal is the only legitimate chance left. The buyer has to be a Croatian citizen and can order up to four tickets; the companions may be foreign nationals, but not Spanish citizens, and every ticket lives in the HNS app. Nova TV shows the match in Croatia from 20:00, and in Italy it is one of Mediaset's free games, on Canale 20. From Rijeka, Split is about 4 hours by car. Our guide to Croatia v Spain covers the sectors, the ticket rules and how to reach Poljud.

The group and what is at stake

Croatia started the era of their new head coach Slaven Bilić, appointed in July after Zlatko Dalić ended his tenure with the World Cup, with a 2-1 win in Prague, where Luka Modrić and Marco Pašalić scored. On the same evening Spain won 3-2 at Wembley. The top two in the group reach the quarter-finals in March 2027 and play for a place in the finals in June; third place can mean a play-off, and fourth place a play-off or relegation to League B. Saturday is also a quick rematch: England beat Croatia 4-2 in Dallas at the World Cup on 17 June. UEFA lists the November home game against Czechia at Opus Arena in Osijek; HNS had not opened ticket sales for it by 28 September.