Croatia
Croatia arrive at their seventh tournament — 2018 finalists, 2022 third-placed — with the Luka Modrić era at its absolute twilight. The Real Madrid legend, now 41, plays one final tournament; Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City), Marcelo Brozović (Al-Nassr), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim) and Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City) form the core. Zlatko Dalić, who has overseen all three of Croatia's deep tournament runs, remains in charge. The Vatreni's recipe is unchanged: technical midfield dominance, defensive solidity, big-game mentality. Group L with England, Ghana and Panama is winnable for second; the round of 16 is the floor, the quarter-final realistic, and a third consecutive deep run not impossible. This is Modrić's farewell — and Croatia know how to honour their best.