SBC News speaks with Croatia-focused, Entain-owned bookmaker SuperSport as part of its World Cup Betting Tour series
For a country relatively small in terms of population and with a top domestic division which is ranked outside of the world’s top 10, Croatia have to be given some credit for asserting themselves as a regular in major international tournaments.
The Vatreni have qualified for every World Cup and European Championship since missing out on South Africa 2010 and their run to the final in Russia back in 2018 is still one of the biggest underdog stories in recent history.
As each tournament passes, Croatia look more like genuine challengers than potential dark horses, and SBC News discusses their chances this year with SuperSport’s Head of Trading, Željko Hadžija.
How big of an event is the World Cup for your trading teams? Does anything else really compare?
“For our trading team, the World Cup is the ultimate operational and commercial peak, the equivalent of a month-long Super Bowl.
“While the UEFA Euros come close in terms of regional rivalry and local intensity, the truly global nature of the World Cup brings a level of volume and trading complexity that no other tournament can match.
“From a trading perspective, the World Cup is not only about pricing the biggest matches. It is about managing a full tournament ecosystem: outright markets, group-stage permutations, qualification markets, alongside heavy in-play demand and player props integrated through Bet Builder.
“For a market like Croatia, where football and the national team have such strong emotional importance, the World Cup is a major undertaking for our sportsbook.”
There are some concerns about the kick-off times in this World Cup, and how this might affect engagement. Are you expecting any difficulties?
“It’s a legitimate concern. The North American time zones mean that many matches will fall into late evening or night-time windows for Croatian customers, which is a significant departure from what Croatian bettors are accustomed to.
“Traditional retail betting and group viewings in sports bars may see a decline due to the late-night slots, which also might shift behaviour toward pre-match betting rather than in-play, as fewer customers will be watching live through the night.
“On the other hand, Croatian fans are deeply passionate about football, and for the games that matter most, particularly those involving the national team, we fully expect them to stay up. For our trading team, it means adapting our operations and internal resourcing to maintain full service quality across all kick-off windows, including the late-night ones.”
It was plain sailing for Croatia in World Cup 2026 qualifying, going unbeaten in a group in which they won seven out of eight games and conceded just four goals.
While household names like Ivan Rakitić and Mario Mandžukić have retired, others such as Luka Modrić (40) and Ivan Perišić (37) continue to fly the flag at international level, with both likely to be heading to their last World Cups this summer.
Modrić, a Ballon d’Or winner, and Perišić, who made over 200 appearances for Inter Milan, are now backed up by the next generation of Croatian talent, including Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol, Bundesliga star Luka Vušković and Real Sociedad regular Luka Sučić.
But is the upwards trajectory of the national team translating into more patriotic punting from Croatian bettors?
Which teams are Croatian bettors expecting to make the biggest impact in this tournament?
“Unsurprisingly, the eyes of Croatian bettors are primarily set on the national team and its group opponents.
“Additionally, Croatian bettors traditionally show strong interest in proven football powerhouses. Brazil and Argentina always attract attention because of their football history and the long-standing appeal they have among local customers. From Europe, Spain, France and England are naturally among the teams expected to go deep into the tournament.”
How big a factor does patriotism tend to play in people’s betting, in your experience? Are expecting patriotic betting to be a big theme in trading this year?
“Patriotic betting is absolutely a real and visible phenomenon in the Croatian market. When the national team plays, we consistently see a meaningful bias toward backing Croatia, regardless of the odds.
“That naturally creates more directional interest in Croatia to win, Croatia to qualify, Croatian goalscorers, team specials and player-related markets.
“From a trading perspective, the important point is to separate customer sentiment from probability. Patriotic betting can influence volumes, customer flows and exposure, but pricing still needs to remain disciplined. The role of trading is to understand the emotional layer while continuing to manage the markets rationally.”
Croatia play their first game of the tournament against England – what is SuperSport trading telling us? What do Croatian bettors expect from the opening game?
“Opening Croatia’s campaign against England is an absolute blockbuster.
“From a Croatian betting perspective, we expect strong support for Croatia to get a result, driven by a combination of genuine belief in the team and patriotic sentiment. The history between these two sides keeps Croatian optimism very much alive, even against a heavily favoured English side.
“We would expect strong customer interest across Bet Builder combinations, derivative and statistical markets, player props and other match-specific markets that allow customers to build a more detailed view of the game.”
Entain took over SuperSport back in 2022 and it is now a core part of the group’s Central and Eastern European operations.
With Croatia going through somewhat of a gambling overhaul over the last 12-24 months, opportunities have become increasingly limited.
A nationwide advertising curfew banning gambling promotions between 6am and 11pm came into place at the beginning of 2026.
As well as this, a new tax framework introducing a tiered levy on player winnings and increased annual licensing fees for operators was also brought in, and that has resulted in weakened financials for Entain’s CEE division so far in 2026.
As Entain CEE’s Chief Sportsbook Officer, Ivan Gojić, recently explained to SBC News, due to higher competition, regulation and margin pressure, “there’s less room for mistakes, and less tolerance from customers”.
But there are still positives to be taken and opportunities to be capitalised upon for shrewd operators, with the World Cup providing just that.
Is the World Cup the first major wagering test of Croatia betting market under the rules of a new regulatory regime enforced earlier this year?
“Yes, it is certainly one of the first major tests of the market under the new regulatory environment. Licensed operators have already been adapting to the updated rules, so the World Cup will be an important moment to see how the market performs under those conditions.
“For operators, this is a test of execution discipline: how to maintain a strong customer experience, manage peak sportsbook demand and communicate responsibly while operating fully within the updated framework.
“From our side, we have been preparing carefully to ensure full compliance while maintaining service quality throughout the tournament.”
How are licensed operators adjusting to the new curfew on gambling advertising?
“Licensed operators are adjusting by being more disciplined, targeted and selective in how they communicate. The emphasis has shifted from broad, high-volume campaigns toward precision timing and contextual relevance. That means operators need to make sure their campaigns work within the new rules while still reaching customers effectively.
“The North American time zones create a different communication rhythm. As a result, operators need to adapt the timing and content of their communication around match windows, with a focus on clear, relevant and responsible messaging within the permitted framework.
“When mass advertising is more restricted, operators need to rely more on the quality of the sportsbook experience itself: clear World Cup navigation, relevant markets, localised content, strong pre-match journeys, CRM discipline and app and website engagement, ensuring that the entire customer journey remains fully compliant with the new regulatory landscape.”
Are there any particular matches, aside from those involving the national team, that you think will catch a lot of bettors’ attention?
“We expect particularly high engagement for matches scheduled during the late-evening European time slots, as they offer the perfect intersection of high TV viewership and active in-play betting.
“Aside from Croatia matches, we expect strong attention around three types of fixtures. First, matches involving the major tournament contenders (Spain, France, England, Brazil and Argentina) will always attract interest.
“Second, matches that directly affect Croatia’s group will be highly relevant for Croatian bettors. England’s matches against Ghana and Panama, as well as Ghana vs Panama, will not be viewed as neutral fixtures in Croatia because they directly influence Croatia’s path through the group.
“Third, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s matches are also likely to generate meaningful interest in the Croatian market. Regional proximity, cultural links and family connections across the border give their participation an additional layer of local relevance for many customers in Croatia. Their group-stage fixtures are also scheduled in accessible evening windows for European viewers, which should further support engagement.
“Once the tournament moves into the knockout stages, every match becomes a major engagement driver with potential extra time and penalty shootouts keeping customers highly engaged.”
Overall, how important is the World Cup to the Entain CEE/SuperSport brand in Croatia, and how do you factor its significance into customer engagement during the tournament?
“For SuperSport, the World Cup is very important both as a major sportsbook event and as a major brand moment. It is a period where customer trust, local knowledge and execution quality matter as much as the offer itself.
“The tournament gives us an opportunity to engage customers around the biggest football event in the world and to demonstrate the quality and breadth of our sportsbook proposition, from market depth and competitive pricing, to the user experience on mobile and in our retail network.”
