On October 6 at 8:45pm local time (18:45 GMT) in Split, Croatia will host Spain in a UEFA Nations League Group A3 match. With nine points from three games, Spain needs only a draw to secure their place in the quarterfinals, while Croatia sits third with just three points after suffering their heaviest defeat ever in their last fixture. The article highlights the generational clash between Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal and Croatian veteran Luka Modric, as well as other key players like Ivan Perisic from Croatia and Alex Baena from Spain.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 6, 2026, Spain faces Croatia in a UEFA Nations League match at Stadion Poljud in Split, Croatia, with kickoff set for 7:45 PM BST (8:45 PM local time). UK viewers can watch the game on Prime Video UK, while regional broadcasters include RTVE PLAY for Spain and Gol for Croatia. Spain, the reigning FIFA World Cup champions, are aiming to secure their spot in the quarterfinals with a strong record of 10 goals scored across three games. In contrast, Croatia's performance has been poor, highlighted by their historic defeat against England earlier this month.
Written for “Croatia Vs Spain Nations League” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Who: Croatia vs Spain
What: UEFA Nations League 2026-27, Group A3 match
Where: Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia
When: Tuesday, October 6, at 8:45pm local time (18:45 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 15:45 GMT.
FIFA World Cup holders Spain can confirm their ticket to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals when they face Croatia on their trip to Split.
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they → follow → Split
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With a perfect record in the tournament and an overall 41-match unbeaten streak, the odds swing heavily in Spain’s favour to clinch victory.
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odds → beat → victory
La Roja’s attack has been on fire this term – they have netted 10 goals from seven scorers in three games, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal leading the scoring charts.
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Yamal → net → charts
Unlike Spain, Croatia’s performance has been far from exemplary, with Luka Modric’s side suffering their heaviest defeat in history in the last fixture.
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side → suffer → fixture
Before the clash of generations 2.0 between Yamal and Modric, Al Jazeera breaks down everything you need to know:
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you → break → everything
The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against equally ranked teams.
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League → found → teams
In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure, which features promotion and relegation.
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which → participate → promotion
How does the UEFA Nations League work?
The teams compete across four divisions, facing every other team in their group twice: Once at home and once away.
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teams → work → home
The league phase ends in November.
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phase → end → November
In the top league, League A, the top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, which take place in March 2027.
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which → advance → March
The finals will again be contested between four teams.
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finals → contest → teams
The host and dates of the finals have not been confirmed yet.
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host → confirm → finals
How have Croatia and Spain played in the Nations League?
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Croatia → play → League
(Last five matches; latest match first)
Croatia: L-L-W-L-W
Spain: W-W-W-W-W
Who are the top players to watch?
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players → watch → ?
The evergreen Modric, very much the heartbeat of the Croatian midfield even at 41 years old, has found the net once in this campaign.
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Modric → find → campaign
With four goals in three games, Yamal is the joint leading scorer in this year’s Nations League, alongside three others, including England’s Harry Kane.
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Yamal → include → Kane
The Barcelona star has found the net in each game, including a double against Croatia in the initial face-off in Seville.
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star → find → Seville
Atletico Madrid’s Baena, on the other hand, has been influential in more ways than one, bagging two assists and a goal.
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Baena → bag → assists
Team news and predicted lineups
Croatia
Centre-back Martin Erlic is sidelined with injury until mid-October, while Josip Juranovic is unavailable due to illness.
Probable Croatia XI: Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic; Luka Modric; Franjo Ivanovic, Petar Sucic, Mateo Kovacic, Martin Baturina; Petar Musa
Spain
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Juranovic → predict → illness
Probable Spain XI: David Raya; Ivan Fresneda, Robin Le Normand, Aymeric Laporte, Fran Garcia; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Roberto Fernandez
Croatia vs Spain: TV channel, livestreaming
- Croatia: gol
- Spain: RTVE PLAY
- United Kingdom: Prime Video UK
- United States: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX
- India: Sony Sports Network
- Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
- South Africa: DStv Stream
You can find your regional broadcaster on UEFA’s official list.
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You → find → list
The Aporia
