The Croatia coach, Niko Kovac, unveiled his first list of 30 players summoned for the World Cup. Josip Simunic, the defender of Dinamo Zagreb is absent from this list. FIFA suspended the player for 10 matches for having sung a neo-Nazi song in the win last November against Ireland ( 2-0).

By cons, we find Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, the midfielder of Real Madrid, Luka Modric , and Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic.

Croatia is in Group A, along with host country Brazil, African representative of Cameroon and Mexico.

 The 30 shortlisted Croatian:

Goalkeepers: Pletikosa (Rostov / RUS) Subasic (Monaco / FRA) , Zelenika ( Lokomotiva )

Defenders: Bubnjic (Udinese / ITA) , Corluka ( Lokomotiv Moscow / RUS) , Lovren ( Southampton / ANG) , Pranjic ( Panathinaikos / GRE ) , Schildenfeld ( Panathinaikos / GRE ) , Srna ( Shakhtar Donetsk / UKR ) Strinic (Dnipro / UKR) , Vida (Dynamo Kiev / UKR ) Vrsaljko (Genoa / ITA)

Midfielders: Brozovic (Dinamo Zagreb) , Badelj ( Hamburg / GER), Kovacic ( Inter / ITA) , Kranjcar ( QPR / ENG ) Mocinic (Rijeka ) , Modric (Real Madrid / ESP), Pasalic ( Hajduk Split), Rakitic ( Sevilla / ESP), Sammir (Getafe / ESP), Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev / UKR).

Forwards: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk / UKR ) Ilicevic ( Hamburg / GER), Jelavic (Hull / ANG) , Mandzukic (Bayern Munich / GER), Olic (Wolfsburg / GER), Perisic (Wolfsburg / GER), Rebic (Fiorentina / ITA).