Croatia national under-21 football team
| Nickname(s) | Mladi Vatreni (The Young Blazers) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Croatian Football Federation (HNS) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Ivica Olić | ||
| Captain | Bartol Franjić | ||
| Most caps | Luka Ivanušec (28) | ||
| Top scorer | Tomislav Bušić (13) | ||
| FIFA code | CRO | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Croatia 6–1 Hungary (Zagreb, Croatia, 14 October 1992) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| Croatia 10–0 San Marino (Zagreb, Croatia, 8 October 2020) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Spain 6–0 Croatia (Alicante, Spain, 10 September 2012) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2000) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2021) | ||
| Website | hns-cff.hr | ||
The Croatia national under-21 football team represents Croatia in international football matches for players 21 or under. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Mladi vatreni ('Young Blazers'). So far, the Mladi vatreni qualified for five UEFA European Under-21 Championships, namely in 2000, 2004, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Croatia was unable to pass the group stage until the 2021 Euro when it was eliminated in the quarter-finals, its greatest accomplishment in the European competition so far.