Zlatko Dalic's nine-year spell as Croatia manager has come to an end after the two parties decided to part ways following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.
Dalic oversaw what is widely regarded as the nation's most successful spell in history, most notably leading Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018 -- where they ultimately lost to France -- and the semi-finals in 2022, where they lost 3-0 to eventual winners Argentina.
Their 2026 campaign on the main international stage came to a bitter end in the round of 32, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Portugal via a stoppage time goal from Goncalo Ramos.
While Dalic doesn't have silverware to show for a successful spell with Croatia, he'll leave with the regards of the devoted supporters.
With that said, we take a look at the potential candidates to replace him in the Croatia hotseat.
Slaven Bilic
Could a return to the Croatia dugout be on the cards for Slaven Bilic?
Highly regarded during his six-year spell as the national team manager between 2006 and 2012, Bilic led Croatia to the Euros quarter-finals in 2008 and facilitated the transition of numerous key players, including Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic.
The 57-year-old has been out of management since leaving Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Fateh in 2024, and reports suggest that he is amongst the leading candidates to make the return to international management after 14 years away from the scene.
Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor's reputation has taken a sizeable hit following a severely underwhelming seven game stint with Tottenham Hotspur -- and understandably so -- but it'd be naive to downplay his stints away from North London.
Igor Tudor has never exceeded 78 games at one club, and so it's hard to predict how he'd manage across a prolonged period with Croatia, but his highly pragmatic style of football could suit international football, in particular tournaments.
There's no doubts about it, Croatia are reaching the end of an area -- with Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric amongst those reaching their final years -- and Tudor's practical system could help direct a new age.
Ivica Olic
While -- across the board -- Ivica Olic may be a less recognised name in the managerial scene, he's no stranger to the Croatia national team setup; infact, you could go as far to say that he's amongst the most familiar with it.
Olic made 104 appearances for the nation in his professional playing career and became assistant manager to Dalic in 2017, where he enjoyed four years on the coaching staff.
After a nine-game stint as CSKA Moscow manager, Olic returned as Croatia's assistant manager in 2021, before being appointed as the U21 head coach for the national team.
Few know the ins and outs of the first team manager role quite like Olic -- having spent seven years alongside the national team's most successful head coach -- and the Croatian Football Federation may see the 46-year-old as a candidate to make what you'd suspect could be a seamless transition.
