Croatia vs Belgium prediction 02.06.2026 | Friendly International

Croatia had magnificent performances in the previous two World Cups, finishing 2nd and 3rd! This year, once again, no one sees them among the primary candidates for the title. Even though some of their key players are getting older, like Luka Modric or Ivan Perisic, the Croats have a really interesting, pretty deep team that can surprise anyone. In the Qualifiers, Croatia dominated group L, but to be fair, it wasn't really a challenging one.

There is a big question over whether Luka Modric will play in these friendlies, as he is training with a mask after breaking his cheekbone late in the season. However, we believe he will play at least the first half.

Belgium are one of the dark horse candidates for the World Cup title. According to the bookies, they are the 10th-favorite for the title, but undoubtedly have a really good team. Before the WC Qualifiers, they had a disastrous UEFA Nations League campaign, barely securing survival after playing in a relegation duel against Ukraine, which they won 4:3 on aggregate. In the WC Qualifiers, they did much better, winning 18 points in 8 rounds, but, like Croatia, the group wasn't particularly challenging (Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein). 

Romelu Lukaku has been dealing with hip problems and hasn't played since early April. Throughout the season, he played only 64 minutes of competitive football, yet still got the call for the NT instead of players like Lois Openda, Mika Godts, or Malick Fofana. In one of the latest interviews, he said he is feeling really well and that he is ready to contribute to the team off the bench. We might see the 33-year-old Lukaku for limited minutes in this game against Croatia.