June 24, Kathmandu – Croatia defeated Panama 1-0 in a FIFA World Cup 2026 group L match, thanks to a lone goal from Ante Budimir. The 2018 World Cup runners-up earned their first win in the tournament, providing significant relief to the team. The match, held on Wednesday morning at Toronto Stadium in Canada, saw Budimir score the decisive goal early in the second half. At the 53rd minute, he converted a pass from Josip Stanišić to give Croatia the lead. Both teams made efforts to score further, but were unable to change the scoreline.
After losing their opening match 4-2 to England, Croatia’s first victory earned them 3 points, moving them up to third place in Group L. Their final group match will be against Ghana, a game that will be decisive for advancing to the knockout stage. A win against Ghana would guarantee Croatia a top-two finish in Group L.
Meanwhile, Panama is confirmed to be eliminated from the group stage after suffering their second consecutive loss. They were defeated 1-0 by Ghana in their first game and will now face England in their final fixture. During the same game, Croatia’s experienced captain Luka Modrić marked his 200th international appearance. Modrić is only the fourth player in international football history to reach this milestone. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal leads with 230 caps, followed by Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa with 202, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi with 201. Messi achieved this record during Algeria’s opening match in this tournament.
