England face Croatia in Nations League match behind closed doors

The fixture at HNK Rijeka Stadium will be played without spectators after Croatia received a two‑game sanction for fan misconduct.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 03 Oct 2026 16:36:28 GMT

England travel to Rijeka on Saturday 3 October for their Nations League Group A3 clash with Croatia, a match scheduled to start at 5 pm BST, according to the Independent.

What happened

The game will be held at the HNK Rijeka Stadium and will be played behind closed doors. Croatia is serving a two‑game punishment for crowd trouble during last year’s Nations League quarter‑final against France. The sanction requires the team to play its next home match without an audience and its following away match without travelling supporters.

What the reports add

One Independent article notes that the Croatian Football Federation confirmed the ban will apply to the England match, stating the inappropriate behaviour of some Croatian fans in the previous quarter‑finals led to the decision. The same outlet reports that England fans, previously barred, have now been allocated 100 complimentary tickets to distribute among supporters.

What was said

"It should be noted that due to the inappropriate behavior of some Croatian fans in the quarter‑final matches of last year’s edition of the Nations League against France, Croatia will play its first away game, i.e. the one against the Czech Republic on September 26, without the presence of Croatian fans, and play its first home game without an audience, i.e. the one against England on October 3," the Croatian Football Federation said, as reported by the Independent.

How it came about

England entered the match after a 2‑0 win over the Czech Republic in Prague on 29 September, a result that lifted them to second place in Group A3, level on points with Croatia. Earlier, England had lost 3‑2 to Spain at Wembley on 26 September, a defeat that left the team seeking points to stay in contention for the group top spot. Felo News covered both those fixtures in recent articles (England vs Czech Republic and England vs Spain), providing the context for the upcoming encounter in Croatia.

Key facts

England vs Croatia will be played at HNK Rijeka Stadium on 3 October 2026, kick‑off 5 pm BST. (independent.co.uk)
The match will be held behind closed doors due to a two‑game sanction on Croatia for fan misconduct. (independent.co.uk)
England have been allocated 100 complimentary tickets for the match. (independent.co.uk)