TORONTO — Croatia defeated Panama 1-0 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group L match on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Toronto. This result eliminated Panama from the tournament and kept Croatia in contention for the knockout stage.

Ante Budimir scored the match's only goal in the 54th minute, with an assist from Josip Stanisic. Budimir entered the game as a substitute and recorded his first World Cup goal. The match, with an attendance of 43,000, saw Croatia's Luka Modric make his 200th international appearance for his national team.

In the 57th minute, Croatia's Marco Pasalic missed a scoring opportunity. Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera saved Pasalic's initial shot, and Pasalic then sent the rebound over the crossbar. Later, in the 67th minute, Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made three saves.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic commented on his team's performance. "It was a tough and fighting match against a dangerous opponent. We didn't manage to do much in the first half, but we were much better in the second. Three points and we are still in the game," Dalic said. He also mentioned Modric, who is 40 years old and was substituted in the 81st minute. "It could be that Luka might want to avoid all this," Dalic said regarding Modric's milestone.

Panama coach Thomas Christiansen reflected on his team's loss. "You cannot win a match if you don't score," Christiansen said. He also stated, "These players, after these two World Cup matches, won't be where they are today."

In Group L, Croatia has three points. England and Ghana are tied with four points each after their 0-0 draw. Panama currently has zero points in the tournament, having previously lost 1-0 to Ghana in their opening match. Croatia had defeated England 4-2 in their initial Group L game. Next, Croatia will play Ghana on Saturday in Philadelphia, and Panama will face England on Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.