Match Overview

The 5th-round qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between the Faroe Islands and Croatia will take place on September 5th at Tórsvøllur Stadium in Tórshavn. Here’s a detailed match preview, prediction, odds, and statistics for Faroe Islands vs Croatia.

Faroe Islands Team Analysis

The Faroe Islands secured a 2-1 home victory against Gibraltar in their last match, breaking a streak of 7 consecutive defeats in World Cup qualifiers. However, the Faroese side has conceded goals in 14 consecutive World Cup qualifying matches. Despite their defensive struggles, the islanders have found the net in 4 of their last 5 matches in this tournament. With 3 points, Eidun Klakstein’s team occupies 4th place in Group L, trailing their closest opponent by three points.

Faroe Islands Key Statistics

• Fewer than 4 goals were scored in 7 of the Faroe Islands’ last 9 World Cup qualifying games.
• At home in this tournament, the national team has failed to win 5 of their last 7 matches (1 draw, 4 losses).
• In 6 of their last 8 home matches in World Cup qualifiers, the team conceded no more than one goal.

Faroe Islands Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)*

Bárður Reynatrøð – Gunnar Vatnhamar, Hannes Sørensen, Viljormur Davidsen, Ódmar Færø – Brandur Olsen, Jákup Andreasen, Meinhard Olsen, Jónas Bjartalíð, Jákup Andreasen – Jóan Edmundsson.

Croatia Team Analysis

Zlatko Dalić’s squad, after a dominant 7-0 victory over Gibraltar, also convincingly defeated the Czech Republic 5-1. Croatia has won 7 of their last 8 World Cup qualifying matches (1 draw), scoring at least two goals in 5 of those games. In Group L, only Croatia remains unbeaten, but they are currently in 2nd place due to having played fewer matches.

Croatia Key Statistics

• At least one goal was scored in both halves in 6 of Croatia’s last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.
• In 4 of their last 5 away matches in World Cup qualifiers, the team kept a clean sheet.
• Croatia opened the scoring in 7 of their last 8 matches in this tournament.

Croatia Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)

Dominik Livaković – Borna Sosa, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Martin Erlić, Ivan Smolčić – Lovro Majer, Luka Modrić, Mario Pašalić, Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić – Ante Budimir.

Team News

Defender Joško Gvardiol was not called up due to injury.

Match Official

Kristo Tohver (Estonia)

Referee Statistics (2024/25 – 2025/26)

Matches officiated – 8 (International matches);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 44;

Average yellow cards per match – 5.5;

Red cards shown – 0;

Average fouls per match – 21;

Penalties awarded – 50%.

Faroe Islands vs Croatia Match Prediction

Croatia looks formidable in this qualifying campaign. Their thrashing of Gibraltar was not entirely surprising, although Gibraltar has recently improved defensively. However, scoring five goals against the Czech Republic is certainly an extraordinary achievement. The last time the Czech Republic conceded so many goals in an official match was six years ago. Among all current group stage participants, Zlatko Dalić’s side is only behind Norway in terms of goal-scoring efficiency, with the Scandinavians having played two more games. It’s also worth noting that Croatia approaches this match with a streak of 4 away victories in World Cup qualifiers, having scored a total of 18 goals in those matches.

Defensive Concerns for Faroe Islands

The Faroese allowed even Gibraltar, considered one of Europe’s weakest national teams, to score in their last match. Defensive problems have plagued the islanders for a long time: the national team has conceded in 14 consecutive World Cup qualifying matches. It’s unlikely to expect a sudden transformation in their defense against a red-hot Croatian side. Especially considering Croatia has scored at least twice in 6 of their last 7 World Cup qualifying encounters.

Expert Betting Pick

My prediction: “Croatia Individual Total Goals Over 2” with odds of 1.52