Croatia’s Zlatko Dalic exits after nine years, and crypto’s quiet takeover of football keeps rolling
The departure of one of international football's most successful coaches highlights the growing intersection of sport, sponsorship, and digital assets
Zlatko Dalic has stepped down as Croatia’s national football head coach after nine years in the role. His contract with the Croatian Football Federation expired automatically following the team’s Round of 16 exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, closing one of the most decorated chapters in Croatian sporting history.
What Dalic built, and what comes next
Appointed on October 7, 2017, Dalic took a Croatian squad with modest resources compared to football’s traditional powerhouses and turned it into a perennial contender. He guided the team to the 2018 World Cup final, where they finished as runners-up. That alone would have cemented his legacy.
But he kept going. Croatia earned a third-place finish at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Then came a run to the 2023 UEFA Nations League final. For a country of roughly four million people, these results are the sporting equivalent of a mid-cap protocol consistently outperforming blue chips.
His nine-year tenure ended in July 2026 after the World Cup elimination. Reports have linked Dalic to potential roles with the UAE national team or a return to club football in the Middle East. The candidates reportedly being considered to replace him include former assistant Ivica Olic and Slaven Bilic, both familiar names in Croatian football circles.