Qualifications
Croatia was drawn in Group A of UEFA's World Cup qualifications along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia. Croatia finished second, behind Denmark, and qualified for the World Cup. The team had the following results:
| Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score |
| October 8, 1996 | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4:1 |
| November 10, 1996 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb |
Greece | 1:1 |
| March 29, 1997 | Poljud Stadium, Split |
Denmark | 1:1 |
| April 2, 1997 | Poljud Stadium, Split |
Slovenia | 3:3 |
| April 30, 1997 | Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki |
Greece | 1:0 |
| September 6, 1997 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3:2 |
| September 10, 1997 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen |
Denmark | 1:3 |
| October 11, 1997 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana |
Slovenia | 3:1 |
The final standings were the following:
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark
|
17 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 8 |
 Croatia
|
15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 12 | 5 |
 Greece
|
14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
9 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -5 |
 Slovenia
|
1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 20 | -15 |
Players
Team captain Zvonimir Boban is the only players that appeared in all 10 qualifying matches. Davor Šuker was top scorer with 5 goals. Ardian Kozniku, Petar Krpan, Anthony Šerić and Vladimir Vasilj did not appear in any of the qualifying matches but made the final World Cup squad.
Complete list of players in the qualifying matches
| # | Name | Games Played | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zvonimir Boban | 10 | 3 |
| 2 | Davor Šuker | 9 | 5 |
| Alen Bokšić | 9 | 4 | |
| Slaven Bilić | 9 | 3 | |
| Aljoša Asanović | 9 | 0 | |
| 6 | Goran Vlaović | 8 | 2 |
| Robert Jarni | 8 | 0 | |
| 8 | Zvonimir Soldo | 7 | 1 |
| Dario Šimić | 7 | 1 | |
| Goran Jurić | 7 | 0 | |
| Dražen Ladić | 7 | 0 | |
| 12 | Robert Prosinečki | 6 | 1 |
| Igor Cvitanović | 6 | 0 | |
| 14 | Nikola Jerkan | 4 | 0 |
| Krunoslav Jurčić | 4 | 0 | |
| 16 | Silvio Marić | 3 | 1 |
| Niko Kovač | 3 | 0 | |
| Marjan Mrmić | 3 | 0 | |
| Igor Štimac | 3 | 0 | |
| 20 | Tomislav Erceg | 2 | 0 |
| Tonči Gabrić | 2 | 0 | |
| Nenad Pralija | 2 | 0 | |
| Mario Stanić | 2 | 0 | |
| 24 | Nikola Jurčević | 1 | 0 |
| Zoran Mamić | 1 | 0 | |
| Daniel Šarić | 1 | 0 | |
| Igor Tudor | 1 | 0 |
Source: Croatian Football Federation
| Player was not selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad |
