Americans rank World Cup favorites: Croatia's position and who is ahead of the Vatreni

As the World Cup approaches, USA Today has released its rankings of the tournament's favorites, placing Croatia at 17th. This position comes as a surprise to many, considering Croatia's strong recent performance in international football, including being one of only two teams, alongside France, to medal in the last two World Cups.

The American portal's assessment positions several teams ahead of the Vatreni (the Blazers), including Colombia, a team Croatia recently defeated comfortably in a preparatory match. Other nations ranked higher than Croatia include Ecuador, Senegal, and Japan, prompting discussion about the criteria used for the evaluation. Host nations USA and Mexico also feature higher on the list.

Croatia has been drawn into Group L for the tournament, alongside England, Ghana, and Panama. Despite the USA Today ranking, the Croatian national team, led by Zlatko Dalić, will be looking to replicate their past successes and defy expectations on the global stage.

The full USA Today ranking lists Spain, France, Argentina, England, and the Netherlands as the top five favorites. The list also includes Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Senegal, Ecuador, Belgium, Mexico, USA, Norway, Japan, Colombia, Croatia, Switzerland, Morocco, and Uruguay among the higher-ranked teams, followed by a longer list of nations.